


Catch Me, I'm In Love

by angelmist



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Office AU, Single Parent AU, Teacher AU, angst maybe idk, comedic tbh, jeonghan's a terrible parent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-09 12:43:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13481736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelmist/pseuds/angelmist
Summary: Yoon Jeonghan, one of the most strongest CEO, has trouble managing a child. Hong Jisoo, a Kindergarten teacher, can teach him a thing or two about parenthood.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> LONG OVERDUE BUT HEY THERE'S GONNA BE AN UPDATE OF LIKE THREE MORE CHAPTERS AFTER THIS !!  
> \---  
> "It wasn't until Jeonghan opened the front door only to see a child, redfaced with tears streaming down his face with a note from his ex-wife claiming that this child was his, that Jeonghan wanted to slam the door on his face and move out."

A knock. 

One knock. Two knocks. Three knocks. Urgent, careless.

A doorbell.

Constantly ringing through his large home. 

And all Jeonghan wanted to do after signing papers, leaving his company, and getting a ride from his driver was to sleep. He silently prayed for the disruption to possibly fade within the silent night air. That's what he thought when no noises was heard.  _Why aren't the security guards or maids informing me? Aren't some still here cleaning or - protecting? Whatever it was that they do._ Another knock, never resting. His head throbbed. His slender fingers pushed into his blond locks, tugging lightly at the strands. Sitting up from the comfort of his bed, he pushed himself up, and left his room, unfortunately. Walking down the stairs and to the front door, he stopped in front of the screen that controlled the security camera outside of the door. But it was off. Hitting it a few times, he rolled his eyes.  _Another thing to fix tomorrow._ There wasn't any peephole either so if it was a killer outside, Jeonghan just knew his name was going to be on the headlines or on online articles already. He could see it already.  _Big shot CEO, Yoon Jeonghan, murdered in his own home!_ Anything to get the gossip going. His fingers flicked the lock and eventually grasped the door knob, twisting it and pulling it open. Through the security screen, he looked around, forehead pressed against it, refraining him from peeking out any further. There was nothing. It was just the sweet abyss of night time, aside from the crickets chirping.  _Night singing._ Suddenly, a small hand slammed against the security screen, causing a  _screech_ to rip from the back of Jeonghan's throat, ruining his manly facade he wanted to keep before he died. Considering the size of the hand, it was harmless. Well, hopefully. Unlocking the security screen, he pushed the door open, revealing a boy that was not even older than four years old. 

With furrowed eyebrows, he looked around, "What kind of parents would leave their kid here?" he mumbled, peeking his head out, "Uh," he cleared his throat, rubbing the nape of his neck, "Isn't it.. A bit too late to sell your boy scout cookies? It's like -  _midnight._ " the CEO scolded, exasperated even. "I mean, as much as I am neutral with your guys' whole.. Soliciting, it's pretty late. And it's  _dangerous_ to be out this late. Where are your pare-" he suddenly cut his lecture off, voice becoming gruff as he heard a sniffle. Then a choked sob. And eventually, whimpers. 

Then, he looked down. Gaze finally meeting the boy's teary eyes, his bottom lip that trembled pitifully. Despite Jeonghan's already cold heart, he could feel it quiver just a bit before halting entirely. He will  _not_ be swooned by this strange boy. "... Do you  _want_ me to buy your cookies that badly?" he spoke, entirely perplexed by the situation. 

"I-I have n-no co-cookies!" he whined out, small hands clenching into fists, stomping his foot defiantly as tears continued to roll down his round, pudgy cheeks, the tip of his button nose a soft, pink hue. His almond eyes staring at him,  _glaring_ at him, in almost.. annoyance?

"Then what are you doing here, kid?" Jeonghan groaned out, "I'm certain it's unsafe to be out here. Where are your parents?"

"... In front of me."

"... Excuse me?"

"In front of me!" he said loudly, at the end, his voice squeaking, lips pursed stubbornly now. 

Jeonghan gave him a quick look over. His raven hair was a mess, tousled. Eyes red from his tears, cheeks red, flushed, his tears continued to fall, pink, plump lips in a pout now, as he trembled from the cold. His hands were still clenched into fists, and he was incredibly  _small._ "You've been mistaken. I don't have a kid." 

"Mama said." he narrowed his eyes accusingly, "Mama doesn't lie like papa."

First, the kid said he was his son, and now he was being accused of being a liar.  _The audacity of this kid. It's possible to slam this door shut without feeling guilty, right?_ "I'm certain she's lyi-" despite this being his home, he saw the lights of his neighbors coming on, some leaving their home to check on the ruckus that this kid was creating. The way he suddenly began to cry, flailing his arms in a matter of seconds, and  _screeching._ He was putting on a show. On purpose. Hissing, the elder grabbed the hook of his backpack, and dragged him inside, despite the child stumbling on his two, small legs. But Jeonghan did  _not_ miss that smug smirk on his face.

The child leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Jeonghan glowered down at him as he shut and locked the door. There goes his night to rest. The two stared each other down, waiting til' the other spoke. Jeonghan was trying to piece his words together.  _His_ kid? Absolutely not. What a lie. It was impossible. He doesn't recall ever fooling around. He was basically married to his job. But considering the age of the kid as well as taking in the consideration of how long it's been since he fooled around - he paled incredibly. He indeed did have an ex-wife, though. That thought alone, he wanted to forget that piece of information once more. But they divorced not even.. "How old are you?"

"Four."

_Four years ago._

Sighing deeply, he hit his head a few times with his palm, as if trying to wake himself up from his dream. Of course, it didn't work.  _It's not possible. No, this is a lie. He's probably confused. Directed to the wrong house._

"I'm turning five next month!" he chirped, eyes brightening, "I start... Uhm.. Kindergarten!"

Jeonghan nodded stiffly and that's when the child's stomach growled, causing him to paw at his stomach gently, almost sheepishly. That's when the CEO panicked. He wasn't even sure if this was his kid but he doesn't even know how to take care of one. He was shit at taking care of anything in his life - which was probably why he doesn't even have animals frolicking about in his house. His plant died not even two days ago! 

"Hungry." was what he said simply, peering at him with curious eyes, almost anticipating how this would play out.

"All I know is how to make a cup of noodles and that's about all you're getting." the tired man muttered, before beginning to walk to the kitchen until the hem of shirt was grabbed, stopping him from continuing.

"Carry." 

"You have two legs. Use them."

Tears formed, another whine. 

Jeonghan groaned loudly. All he wanted to do was make him food and then sleep so he could deal with this tomorrow. Or later in the day considering the time. His hands slid underneath his armpits and picked him up, keeping him some distance away from his body. The child blinked but went along with it. Jeonghan held him like he was some sort of disease infected pest before setting him down on the chair. "Stay there. No noise. Nothing at all. Nada. Zilch." And he surprisingly obeyed. Jeonghan reached into the cupboards, grabbing his  _emergency cup of noodles_ he hid behind the healthy things his personal cook bought to make for him on a daily basis. Or whenever he was home was the truth. Removing the cap half way, he filled it with water before popping it into the microwave, heating it up for a solid three minutes. The soft hum from the microwave filled the silence between the kid and him, Jeonghan sometimes glancing at him or perhaps falling asleep as he leaned against the counter. Whilst the kid looked at him blankly, examining him, _judging_ him. At the sound of the microwave beeping, it alarmed Jeonghan immediately, snapping out of his sleep induced state as he took it out hurriedly, ignoring the heat that eventually would burn his hand. Looking through his drawers, realization dawned upon him when he didn't quite know where the utensils were. But he did indeed know where the recyclable chopsticks were. Opening one of the drawers again, he slid his hand to the back of the drawer and grabbed the packet and  _finally_ set his cup of noodles in front of the child, along with the chopsticks. The child stared at the chopsticks idly before opening them, breaking them apart before peeling the rest of the papery cap off.

The elder sat on the other chair, one elbow propped up on the table as he waited. Waited. Watching. He watched the child struggle with the chopsticks and eventually he spoke up, "Do you not know how to use them?"

He watched his cheeks grow a subtle pink color before grumbling, "No, I know how to." stubborn. He was incredibly stubborn. A second passed, Jeonghan looking at him - staring him down until he admitted that he had no knowledge of using them properly and that's when he broke. "No.. I don't know how to."

Jeonghan refrained from sighing, grabbing the chopsticks from him, bringing the cup of noodles to him instead. The child waited. And eventually, noodles were in front of him, Jeonghan now feeding him. Of course, he opened his mouth, bringing the noodles into his mouth as he chewed away happily. "So, am I going to get an answer to all this? Or proof. Whatever." Minutes passed and half of the noodles were gone once the child went into his bag to grab a manila folder and handed it to him. "And a name?"

Watching him chew, he gulped. ".. Chan." he hummed, opening his mouth, awaiting for Jeonghan to feed him once more. In which he did until there was nothing left and Chan was absolutely satisfied. He leaned back, staring at his..  _father_ as he opened the manila folder.

The contents in the folder, Jeonghan indeed saw tests throughout the months, and saw his name under the DNA recognition and bit down on his lip. How careless of him. The marriage alone was just to make the business stronger. After that, he was a drunk mistake. No strings attached. Taking out his birth certificate, he was born six months after their divorce.  _She was already about three months along._ The rest of the folder consist of every important document he would need if he would.. Take care of him. Full time. But Jeonghan couldn't do that. He wasn't able to. A small note. From his ex wife. Just the simple words  _I leave him to you._ was written on it. No other explanation. By the time he looked over at Chan, he noticed he was fast asleep, in an uncomfortable position. Head craned to the side, hands resting delicately on his stomach. 

Sliding the papers back into the manila folder, he carefully took the backpack off of Chan and slipping one of his arms through the strap and eventually leaned down, picking him up, careful not to wake him up. Walking up the stairs, the manila folder in his other hand, he walked into one of the many free rooms. Setting Chan down in the bed, he tucked him in and then set the bag on the edge of the bed. Walking out of the room, he shut the door quietly and went back to his room. Jeonghan swore he would deal with this later. Setting the folder down on his work desk, he climbed into his own bed, exhausted, huddled into the comfort of his own sheets. 

Moments later, in his half awake state, the bed began to shift. Eventually, a small, cold figure climbed into the bed, huddling against Jeonghan for warmth.  _I swear, I'll get a hold of your mother later to take you back. She, of all people, should know I don't have time for this._ Despite the small protest in the back of his mind, he wrapped his arms around Chan, pulling him closer. 

And the next morning? Jeonghan woke up, walking down the stairs with Chan clinging onto his very being while he continued to sleep and began to scold every security and maid for leaving early and having to make him take this..  _thing_ of a child into his home. And the idea of calling his ex wife? Long passed slipped his mind, as if he didn't think it up hours before.

So, Jeonghan was welcomed into the parenthood officially that day.


	2. II

Even as a young child, Jisoo was known for being kindhearted and caring. With two wonderful parents who taught him right, how could there possibly be a bad bone in his body? If there was, it wasn't as distinct. Besides, there was no harm in being nice  _all_ the time. As he grew older, he grew fond of children. He would frequently take up babysitting jobs and quickly became acquainted with kids. In retrospect, he never thought he would become a teacher. A kindergarten teacher at that. Usually, when it came to teaching, people would often tackle teaching careers that revolved around high schoolers or perhaps adults in college. Rarely, it would be middle school, but it was a higher ratio compared to elementary school. But as soon as Jisoo became an assistant teacher for middle schoolers, he wasn't able to handle the struggling, consistent mood changes they beared. As for high school, it was a pain in his ass. To put it lightly, of course. Too many cliques, drama, it was too much to keep up with. Sure, he was seen as a pretty cool teacher but Jisoo didn't seem all that comfortable when it came to an environment that involved older kids. Especially when he volunteered at a college, he quickly dropped out within a week. A new record at that. Time passed before Jisoo rightfully claimed a spot at the local elementary school that was open to any kids. Even til' now, it was evident enough his soft spot for children remained. Was it the way they were carefree and innocent that lured him in, or perhaps he missed being a child himself? Nonetheless, his official teaching career began. It had been a whole year, nearing two since Jisoo had been teaching at the elementary school. It was a known fact that his first year was an absolute mess for a few months, but he quickly played it off. He got along with the parents and staff as well, so it was nice for him not to get yelled at, perhaps scolded, but teasingly at most. Jisoo was too kind for his own good after all. 

The loud shrill from the bell interrupted Jisoo’s words, a tight lipped smile on his face as he waited for it to end His students who sat criss cross on the alphabet carpet, either squealed from surprise or excitement. Clapping his hands, he gained their attention, keeping his hands clasped together now, “We’ll continue this tomorrow.” his tone was light, soft even, “Go back to your desks and pack your things. Don’t leave this classroom until your parents enter this class. If they are outside in their car, tell me, and I’ll come with you, okay?” Jisoo offered, before watching the kids quickly get up from their designated letter they chose and to their things, in which they quickly packed. He then took the time to clean up his desk.

It was already two months into the school year and Jisoo thought it was going smoothly. Better than last year. That was a mess. It was probably because they gave him so many kids to handle since they couldn’t hire another Kindergarten teacher in time. But to Jisoo, it seemed like they lacked the funds that year since many people quit, gaining a better job offer or teaching just wasn’t their thing anymore. Fortunately, this year lots of people interviewed for the available positions and they didn’t have to force a third grade teacher to teach a fifth grade class or just have a staff, who knew nothing at all, to sub in a class of a sick teacher.

With that, Jisoo never filed a vacation or a sick day since he didn’t quite want his students confused by the sudden change in teachers, especially if they do nothing. It would be a play day all day. As fun as that would be, he wanted his students to learn about themselves and others around them. It was also good to be exposed to a new environment. As time passed, Jisoo cleaned up most of his things, humming whatever came into his mind. That’s when his ears perked up, hearing the sound of laughter. It was quiet for so long, he thought he was alone and all the kids were gone. Looking around with parted lips, he blinked when he saw the trio that were always connected at the hips; Hansol, Seungkwan, and Chan.

Setting his papers down on his desk, he walked over to them and crouched down, looking at what they were doing. Chan was determined to finish coloring in the coloring book while snickering, Hansol was rolled onto his side laughing, and finally Seungkwan was waving a book around threateningly, face red with annoyance as he was scolding the two. But he immediately quieted once Jisoo came, a pout now playing on his face. 

“Mr. Hong!” Seungkwan whined out, “They are being mean!” 

“Oh?” Jisoo quirked one eyebrow up, almost amused, “What did they do?” 

“Tickles! They tickled me and wouldn’t stop!” 

“Tickles?” the teacher gasped dramatically, “How horrible! Don’t worry, I’ll give them an earful for you, how does that sound?”

“No!” Hansol quickly intercepted, “I don’t want to listen, no, no!” 

Chan, who blinked innocently, mumbled, “Hansol wanted me to do it, I didn’t know what to do!” 

“What!? No!” Hansol wrapped his arms around Chan and laid down on him, pushing his weight onto the smaller male so he couldn’t move, “This isn’t fair!”

“You’re not fair!” Seungkwan huffed out, crossing his arms.

Jisoo always found amusement in the trio. One being his younger cousin, the other being his cousin’s childhood best friend, and Chan had no relations to them at all. He was talkative but never knew how ‘make’ a friend, but he indeed was sly when he wanted to be. He kept to himself nonetheless so it was hard for others to get close to him. It wasn’t until Hansol and Seungkwan were arguing and threw their lunches but ended up missing, hitting Chan directly while he was trying to read. Of course, apologies after apologies were spouted out as the class of ten students grew silent. Then a wicked grin was on Chan’s face as he replied tauntingly; _Mmm, I don’t know if I want to forgive you. But then again, I will if you guys be my friends! That’s all!_ It went well until Jisoo got an earful from his father; Jeonghan. Claiming how his son got dirty and it would ruin the car seats. Jisoo sighed at the thought. His parenting skills were horrible but he could never flat out say it. Nonetheless, Chan ended up growing closer to them today so it was kind of a win-lose situation for him. 

“Get off Chan before you squish him, Hansol.” Jisoo scolded before saying, “Where are your parents?” 

“Work!” Hansol said as he sat up, now letting Chan lean against him in his attempt to squish him under his tiny body weight.

“Alright, if they take too long, I’ll take you home after these two leave. Are you coming over this weekend?”

“Yes, with Seungkwannie!” 

Jisoo nodded and stood back up, not before patting Chan’s head, who looked defeated at not being able to push him down. “Did you guys figure out what you’re doing for our talent show in two days?” he asked after a moment, fixing up the play area, picking up the stray toys and putting them in the bucket.

“Dance!” Chan immediately yelled out, surprising the three of them. His eyes gleamed with excitement, clapping his hands as he was now sprawled along Seungkwan’s and Vernon’s lap. “Can you sing for me?” Chan asked, staring at his teacher. 

“If I knew the song, most likely.” Jisoo nodded. “Is your father coming?”

At the mention of his dad, he deflated before shrugging loosely. “Maybe. I think so.” of course, Chan didn’t quite believe that. 

“Don’t worry, Chan, maybe Hansol and I can help with your music!” Seungkwan opted, changing the topic quickly, “In case Mr. Hong can’t do it!”

Chan then brightened up and nodded, “Okay!” rolling off of them, he sat up on the ground, “Mr. Hong, can we have dance time again?” a wide smile was on his face, “With your guitar and singing!” 

“Dance time?” Jisoo thought about it before nodding, “We can for a little bit.” walking back over to his desk, he opened the cabinet besides it and pulled out his guitar. Seating himself on his chair, the three kids were in front of him in a matter of minutes. 

Testing out his guitar, he strummed, seeing if it was tuned before quickly finding a rhythm of one of the nursery rhymes they did a few days ago. Counting silently to himself, he began sing once he hit the eighth beat. His gaze was fixated on the notes for just a moment before eventually looking up and watching the kids dancing to their heart's content. Seungkwan, who belted out the lyrics along with Jisoo, laughed once Chan and Hansol began to have a dance battle amongst themselves. Seungkwan took that opportunity to sit in a chair besides Jisoo, continuing to sing. Overtime, the teacher knew Seungkwan hated dancing. Well, he was good at it but exerting too much energy wasn't his forte. That was clearly shown when it was track field day and Seungkwan tried his best to linger around Jisoo and stay near him. Once the teacher caught on, he encouraged him to go on ahead and thus, Seungkwan came back from track field day. bawling his eyes out at the bees that followed him, how his clothes got dirty, and _why_ he got sweaty _._ After that, Jisoo didn't force him to run anymore, fearing another episode would happen. As the song came to an end, they were all singing at that point, Chan continuing to dance while Hansol clapped his hands to the beat. Once Jisoo finished, he clapped as the three bowed but then it was filled with fits of giggles soon after. 

"Hey, School Heart Throb." a voice was heard, causing Jisoo to look over at the hallway door, sighing.

"I told you not to call me that, Jun." 

"Can't help it. Within the first week of your job, everyone was fawning over you! To this day, they still are. Like whenever you're singing, I swear some teachers stay outside your class to listen."

"Liar. Wait, how long have you been here for?"

"Since you picked up that guitar. Reminds me, a few teachers were outside listening to you. Man, I used to be the talk of the school and you stole that title within seconds! I regret suggesting this job for you."

Jisoo scoffed, rolling his eyes playfully as he watched the kids go back to the play area, "For your information, I don't do anything. I'm just  _myself._  And wait, you're my best friend for how many years again?"

"A solid ten years."

"And you were mad at me for that whole week because I 'claimed' your title that I really didn't want. Even your boyfriend thought you were being stupid."

Jun was silent for a moment, opening and shutting his mouth as he blinked rapidly, almost offended. "Listen," he began, clearing his throat, "Minghao  _always_ thinks I'm stupid, don't assume it was just for that time," he snapped his fingers, "I still think I have the title."

"Good, keep it." Jisoo got up and put his guitar away, hearing Jun snort. "Shouldn't you be doing your job? Y'know, being at the front desk in case something happens?"

"Minghao's covering for me." a grin was on his face as he thought of his boyfriend fondly.

"You're lucky he was willing to do that for you. Though, I prefer his company than yours."

A gasp. Jun looked at him, offended once more, as Jisoo shrugged, obviously poking fun at the younger, "Take that back!"

"In a second."

"Bye, Mr. Hong!" Seungkwan yelled, his backpack on his back as he waved at his other friends, "Bye to you too, Mr. Jun!"  with that, he trotted away, holding his mother's hand.

The two staff members waved back and that left Chan and Hansol to play. Jisoo looked up at the clock and sighed. He was wandering where Chan's father was. As days dragged on, Chan would be picked up later than usual, him always being the last one. Not that Jisoo minded, he learned more about Chan, even if it went over his teaching hours. Chan was a kind kid, his personality was different from his father - from what he has seen. But it's not like he has had civil conversations with Jeonghan. They only saw each other when Jeonghan had something to complain about but he mostly only ever saw his assistant Seungcheol, who he preferred. 

"Waiting for the big CEO Yoon?" Jun laughed, almost mockingly.

"Like I always do." a forced smile was on his face, "I don't understand why he picks his child up late. His kid misses him, it's obvious." he spoke bluntly, rearranging his notebooks. 

"Why don't you just take Chan home too then while you're at it?" Jun asked unsurely, fiddling with the pen on Jisoo's desk.

"I would need permission. Though we have the files of every personal information of our student, I need consent to take his child home, or even visit their home. You should know how it is."

"Right, I forgot for a second."

"Hansol, I'll call your parents and take you home." Jisoo said suddenly, as he glanced back at the clock once more.

"Okay, Uncle Jisoo!" 

"Sorry, Mr. Hong," Chan said sheepishly, "Papa's late again."

"No, you're okay." Jisoo offered, smiling towards him, "I don't mind waiting here with you."

Jun settled in Jisoo's desk chair and went on his computer, "I'll put on a kid movie so they aren't _just_ playing amongst themselves. Also, I heard you have a meeting on Friday after school. Have you looked over the papers they gave you? Now is your chance."

"Oh, right." the teacher said suddenly, pulling his chair with him to sit besides Jun, who scooted over as he pulled up  _Lion King_ which immediately grabbed Chan's attention as he raced to the front, Hansol following behind. 

"I have a serious question."

"I may have a serious answer." Jisoo replied back, reading through the packet.

"So, I heard Mr. Yoon's hot."

"Jun!" Jisoo stammered, hitting him, "Don't talk about my student's father like that."

"I just wanted to clarify, I don't get to see him! People said he's even better than just simple photos. C'mon, won't you tell me?"

"If your boyfriend heard you right now, you'd be sleeping on the couch for a whole month like the last time this happened."

A soft sigh, "No fun." 

Minutes passed as Jisoo continued to read his packet that was provided. Having called Hansol's parents moments before, informing that he would take him home, they felt relieved but also continued to apologize for not being able to pick their son up. Jisoo waved it off and continued to read. Jun, on the other hand, was also silently watching the movie, more absorbed in it now that his question will forever be left unanswered. Jisoo could feel the small flinches from Jun whenever something happened on the screen, sometimes a sniffle. The teacher wanted to tease him but refrained from doing so. Halfway through the movie, Jisoo looked over to see Hansol fast asleep, leaning against the leg of the desk, Chan in between his legs, using him as a pillow with the blanket that Jun provided over them both.

Though the movie was playing loud enough, Jisoo heard faint foot steps. Looking towards the door that led outside, in came Chan's father; Jeonghan. He looked well-kept, his clothes of course expensive as always. The blond hair he saw on him last month was now a faint beige, complimenting his features. He looked calm, almost as if he didn't leave his kid two or three hours past the school time that ended. Jun was looking at him and silently confirmed that he was even better looking than the photos gave him out to be. 

"Mr. Yoon," Jisoo started, his pen in his hand, "I'm sorry, but this isn't a night care center. School ended hours before and policy said that the parents must be here to pick up their child once school ends if they are not taking the bus home. I don't mind Chan staying late, I really don't, but if it's consistent, it not only affects me but also your ch-"

"You are still his teacher through and through until this school year ends. You are supposed to supervise my child and encourage growth. Think of this as supervision, you  _are_ being paid to take care of my child. Consider it a day care  _and_ night care center." Jeonghan replied curtly, cutting him off entirely as his mouth fell open, hearing Jun whistle under his breath as well as mumbling  _What a piece of work._ "Come on, Chan, get up. We are leaving."

"I don't wanna." Chan whined, cuddling further into Hansol who shifted around tiredly.

"I have a schedule to follow. Seungcheol was sick today so I had to come and get you. I was lucky enough to be able to leave early enough. Come on, I don't have time for this."

"But I wanna finish this!" he protested weakly, sitting up now.

"Some other time."

"But we don't have this movie."

"We can buy it on your way home." Jeonghan walked over and leaned down, picking up Chan who protested, whined, and eventually started crying, in an attempt to stay. Though, Jeonghan didn't buy it. After months with being the now five year old, he knew how he worked. Instead, he flicked his forehead, "Not buying it this time."

"No!" Chan huffed, screeching even, "I wanna stay with Hansol, Mr. Jun, and Mr. Hong." the screech woke up Hansol who hugged the blanket close to him, both Jun and Jisoo at a loss of words. 

"They need to go home too." Jeonghan sighed, annoyed even, "How many tantrums will you have?"

"As many as it takes!" he shot back, wiggling around before grumbling under his breath.

Jisoo sat there, unable to process anything. Licking his lips, he looked towards Jun who shrugged, panicked even as he gestured to go help them. The teacher, thought about it for a moment and he stood up. Holding out a leveled hand, he spoke, "Chan, you can see Hansol and Seungkwan tomorrow, can't you?" he said slowly, watching as Chan grew defeated, a pout on his lips, as he nodded slowly. Jisoo looked over at Jeonghan cautiously, who looked at him pointedly, almost bewildered that he butted into their son and father feud, "Mr. Yoon, two of Chan's classmates, Hansol and Seungkwan, are going to come and perhaps sleep over at my place over the weekend. Would it be okay if Chan could join them? He could finish the movie then and it won't trouble you at all."

Jeonghan stood there, his grip on Chan tightening for a moment, "Are you going to make sure he's safe?"

"Of course, I will." Jisoo responded immediately, blinking a few times, shocked he even asked. 

"I'll think about it. Write down your address, Seungcheol and I will drop him off if I have made up my mind by then."

Jisoo wasn't quite sure why he felt nervous as he walked back to his desk, opened his notebook and picked up his pen to write down his address. He ripped the paper out, folded the corners so it was even and neat before handing it towards the single father, who took it and slipped it into his pocket, despite Chan protesting that he could hold onto it. As Jeonghan turned around to leave with Chan who bickered happily, Jisoo cleared his throat, "There's also a talent show here on Friday in the class. Parents are welcome to come and watch their kid perform. They have been working on it since last week. It would be nice if you could watch Chan perf-"

"I have a schedule to keep. I don't have time for tedious things. If there is a space in my schedule, I will come. Other than that, Seungcheol will probably pick Chan up by the time school is finished." Jeonghan had a knack for cutting him off and as he pushed the door open to leave, Jeonghan spoke again, "Goodnight." with that, the door shut between them, the quiet hymn from  _Lion King_ continuing to play. 

"What kind of drama was that?" Jun sputtered out in disbelief as he watched Jisoo rub his temples.

"Was that Chan's dad?" Hansol mumbled, standing up to stretch out his sore body.

"Yes." Jisoo sighed, "Yes, it was."

"He's cool!"

"Sure." the teacher muttered, cleaning his things up, "Ready to head home?"

/

The latter parked in front of Hansol's house and helped him out of the car before grabbing the spare key he had on his key ring and opened the door for Hansol. The child walked in, being greeted by darkness before he switched the light on. "Remember not to answer the door if anyone knocks. You should know who has the keys to your house, right?" Hansol nodded and waved goodbye to him happily and walked upstairs to his room, most likely to play a video game or sleep. One of those two things. Jisoo made sure the door was locked and then shut the door. On his way back to the car, Jeonghan stayed in his mind, bothering him to no extent. He got in his car and sat on the seat, turning the ignition on as he hit his head lightly, "Stop thinking about him." 

Jisoo was glad once he got him into the comfort of his own apartment. He had to look over this week's plans, seeing what he could add in for tomorrow, considering he had to cut some things out. Just at the thought of reading the packet and doing more work made the teacher tired. Brewing himself a cup of coffee, he walked to his room, setting his bag besides his desk, plopping down on in his chair. He was ready to spend the rest of the night working.

Hours had passed before Jisoo fell asleep. His upper body hunched over the desk, his mug of coffee besides him, half of it left and his papers and pens scattered along his desk. He couldn't get much work done since a familiar man with beige colored hair invaded his head.


	3. III

The applauses were soon drowned out by the sound of the bell ringing. That concluded not only the day, but the talent show they hosted. Jisoo was happy that his plans managed to follow the time perfectly fine, and discreetly he praised himself for being  _too_ good. Everyone was able to perform and put on a show. Well, everyone but one. As his students and their parents filed out one by one, he waved with a lighthearted smile before letting his gaze drift off towards a certain student who sat at his desk throughout the whole performance, coloring in his coloring book or just simply drawing on the blank paper Jisoo provided hours before. The classroom was soon filled with silence as the teacher went to put the chairs back in their proper locations. Not only that, but it was evident enough that Jisoo's gaze still lingered but Chan ignored it entirely. Hansol and Seungkwan's persuasion wouldn't make him budge. Not even the empty chair Jisoo pulled out next to him made Chan come over and join. As the teacher, he was upset about it but not as upset as Chan was at this moment. Once the chairs were put back in their rightful places, Jisoo lingered, more like hovered over Chan until he decided to sit in the chair besides him. Though the chair was small and didn't feel all that great on his rear, he just smiled stiffly and grabbed the coloring book as well as a green crayon. Deafening silence fell over the two once more as Jisoo began to color in the shape slowly, glancing over to Chan's drawing where he pressed the red crayon down on the paper harshly and then began to color in his drawing, almost aggressively. Moments passed before Jisoo finished half of his coloring before the younger finally spoke up,

"Do you need something, Mr. Hong?" Chan asked meekly, causing the purple crayon to roll out of Jisoo's hand. But before it could fall into the gaps, he leaned over, grabbing it, saving him the trouble from having to crawl underneath the desk. 

"Need anything? No, I just-" he cut himself off, rubbing the back of his neck before setting the crayon down, letting his hands fall onto his lap, clasping them together, "How.. Are you?"

"Bad," he answered almost immediately, "I'm bad." 

And it was indeed evident in his tone. 

"Would you like to tell me why?" the teacher asked cautiously, leaning over to look at his student properly. '

Chan began to slow down with his coloring upon hearing his question. A sigh elicited from his mouth as he let his red crayon lay flat against the table, eyebrows furrowed. Just faintly, Jisoo could see the tears that glistened his eyes but decided to not make a comment, even when he angrily tugged at his sweater sleeves and wiped his eyes. "I miss my mom."

At his words, Jisoo nodded slowly but felt confused. Even conflicted.  _Missed her? I thought she lived with them? It would have made sense at the very least. Ex-wife of CEO Yoon comes back claiming they indeed have a five year old kid that she hid._ Lifting his hand up slowly, he rubbed Chan's back, "Where is she?"

Chan leaned into his touch, his legs that dangled moved back and forth mindlessly, "She's far away," he mumbled quietly, "I don't know where but mama was really sick and then sent me to papa's because of that. The nurses kept me company though! Mama was too sick to play after all." his voice grew quiet as he rubbed his face again, "I miss her." he said, though muffled due to his hands, "A lot."

Jisoo noticed how antsy he was - how Chan needed a distraction before he actually starts crying. It wouldn't be the first time Jisoo had to handle a fussing Chan but it wasn't all that pretty. He could cry for hours on end if he didn't say the right words. Sometimes, he just seeked skinship. Though, it wasn't recommended for teacher's to do this at all, but all kids just needed someone to comfort them. It wasn't like he was gonna let them throw a tantrum and let them cry until they passed out from exhaustion. He knows how much of a horrible feeling that was. "How about you tell me all about your mother?" he opted after a moment, watching as his face lit up, "While helping me clean this classroom up?"

"Okay!" he chirped almost immediately, sitting up from his seat, "I'm in!"

Jisoo listened to every word that Chan had to say about his mother. Even though it was mostly just word dump, he found amusement in them. He noticed how fond he was of his mother and how happy he got. He spoke about how she was pretty like a flower. How she  _smelled_ like flowers. She was funny. Kind even. To Jisoo, it seemed like every man's dream. But that also made him curious. How did the fall between her and Jeonghan happened? But, Jisoo would  _never_ pry into the Yoon business, fearing it would drag him down some other path and that very idea scared him. There were times when Jisoo heard Chan sniffling as he folded the blankets on the ground whenever a fond memory was brought up. Of course, Jisoo immediately calmed the younger down. He wasn't quite sure how much time had passed but it was nearing night time once more. Just like the other day. 

The sound of the hallway door opening caught Jisoo's attention. Chan grabbed the folded blankets one by one and stacked them up in the corner, paying no mind to what was happening to them. Jun, followed by Minghao who held bundles of paper walked in, sporting grins on their faces. Jisoo waved at them both, watching as Minghao set the stack of papers on the desk, patting it after, "Your packages came in."

"Thanks," Jisoo answered back, smiling graciously, watching as Jun walked over to Chan and poked both of his sides, a giggle falling from the younger's lips as he wiggled away.

"Hey, little guy, what are you doing here still?" Jun raised his hand and immediately Chan jumped up and gave him a high five, his smaller hands making a small noise against Jun's palm.

"Waiting for papa!"

"Did you peform today?" Jun asked suddenly and the classroom became quiet. With this chilling silence, Jun already regretted asking as a tight lipped smile was on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck, meeting JIsoo's glare and Minghao's confused look. Chan just shook his head and went back to clean up his toys. Jun sent them both a sorry glance, in which Jisoo just tsk'd. Jisoo knew Jun was... Special but his special moment here gave the teacher an idea.

"Why don't you perform for Mr. Jun and Mr. Hao?" he asked, clasping his hands together as he moved from side to side for a moment, almost nervous if he too struck a cord. Luckily, he didn't when Chan whipped around with a smile on his face and nodded his head. With that, Jisoo walked over to his cabinet and grabbed his guitar from inside and settled on the high chair. The two staff members settled on the table, Minghao leaning on Jun for support, his back now pressed against his chest. Before anything could happen, the door suddenly opened and in came Seungcheol.

"I'm so sorry, Chan," the assistant breathed out all in one go. His tie was slightly loosened, panting as his hands searched for some type of purchase on the wall so he could catch his breath. That was short lived when Chan squealed with excitement and ran over to him, hugging him tightly. To which he accepted and quickly let go.

"it's called common courtesy," someone seethed from behind him, the sound of the door now shutting behind them both. Jeonghan began to dust off his blazer and though his hair looked like a mess, he still looked good. Jisoo envied that entirely.

Chan squinted, narrowing his eyes at his father as he crossed his arms. Jun and Jisoo were worried that another Yoon family fued was going to happen. Minghao could only sit there, wide eyed. Indeed, he wasn't disappointed with his looks. Suddenly, all three of them looked at each other and awkwardly shifted their gazes up to the ceiling, finding that much more interesting. As his blazer was dusted off, his gaze was now solely focused on his son as he slowly approached him. Chan stood his ground nonetheless, a pout fixated on his pink lips, mustering up the angriest look he was able to, and tried to express a cold demeanor he learned from his father over the months. 

Squatting down to his height, he lifted up his hand and wrapped it around Chan's small wrist and tugged him closer. Of course he wouldn't budge quite yet as he shook his head until one last tug and he was pulled into his embrace, his face pressed against chest. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it."

It was rare for apologies to even come out of Jeonghan's mouth that it even shocked Chan. All his anger managed to melt away as he buried his face farther into his chest, "It's okay."

Moments passed before Jeonghan pulled away and then ran his slender fingers through his hair, "How 'bout we head home and you can perform for us there, huh?" Jeonghan noticed the way Chan seemed to perk up at the idea, "Cheollie will be there," Jeonghan murmured, pointing at the assistant who now stood up straight and nodded, a smile on his face, "Mingyu and Wonwoo too." the CEO continued, humming as he tugged gently at his strands before fixing his hair back into place, "You can even perform for the maids there. You know how much they love seeing you dance. Anything for you. You can do anything you want and we'll be there to watch."

"Really?" Chan asked quietly before jumping up and down lightly, "Can Mr. Hong, Mr. Jun, and Mr. Hao come too?" 

Jeonghan looked up, the softness that was in his features was now long gone as the vacant look returned. Standing up, he answered, "If that's what you want."

"That is what I want!" he said happily, before running over to Jisoo, grabbing his hand as he began to tug him off the chair,

"W-What?" he sputtered out, the staff members equally confused as they remained in place.

"Come on, come on, you guys are coming home with me!" 

"Ah, if it's trouble, we don't have t-" Minghao began but was quickly cut off by Jeonghan.

"Chan clearly wants you three to come and I can't seem to deny his request after what I have done. If you don't want to go, that is also fine, but that also means getting an earful from him."

Which is something _all_ of them don't want.

"Your choice?" Jeonghan asked once more, leaning against the table. Jisoo, Jun, and Minghao, who were now standing up after being dragged by Chan had to agree. Jisoo nodded slowly and Jeonghan took it as a yes almost immediately. His blazer was now discarded, revealing a nice white button up. Jisoo watched as Jeonghan walked over to him and placed his blazer over his head.

"What are y-"

"If there's a reporter creeping around here, I'd rather not have your guys' faces on the cover of every article." he said simply, watching as Seungcheol gave Jun his blazer as well, "Seungcheol, go outside and grab Mingyu's blazer. And I believe that's all."

"We didn't really sign out, y'know." Minghao muttered lowly as Jun put the blazer over his head, moving it around so it would have him hidden. 

Upon hearing that, Jeonghan took the initiative, leaving Jisoo's side as he grabbed the classroom's phone and punched in the numbers that led to the office to give them all. Jun and Jisoo exchanged a look, both of them unsure of what to say in this situation as they mouthed each other off, signaling towards Jeonghan until Seungcheol returned with another blazer, handing it to Jun once more, who put it over himself, with Minghao's help.

"Excused." Jeonghan spoke after he hung up. Chan was now in Seungcheol's arms and Jisoo let out a small surprised noise as Jeonghan's arm was wrapped around him, "We are going to walk to the car fast. Stay close. I don't want  _any_ of your faces captured. Got it?"

Stiff nods were given towards him once Seungcheol opened the door, holding it open until they were all out. Jisoo could feel his heart pumping in his chest as he had a tight hold on the neck of his guitar. He wasn't quite sure why he was nervous. It was normal. To go out of his class and into the public world. But it wasn't normal going out with Yoon Jeonghan at all. Feeling his grip tighten on him, they were off. Jun's arm around Minghao protectively as their heads were lowered but their pace was relentless as they walked to the car, Seungcheol guiding them. Chan, of course, just sent them smiles.

Making it to the car, the door was opened and they all filed in one by one and somehow Jisoo was actually glad they all fit in and how it was a large enough car. "I do also have my car here." Jisoo blurted out suddenly.

"Keys." Jeonghan asked, his palm now open as they settled inside. Jisoo slowly took out his keys from his pocket and handed it to him. "Do you also have keys?" Jeonghan looked at the staff members who shook their heads, discarding the blazers.

"No, Jisoo took us to work today." Jun answered cautiously, running his hands through his hair, suddenly nervous.

"Wonwoo." Jeonghan called, watching as the man in the passenger's seat turned around. Tossing him the keys, he spoke once more, "Drive Jisoo's car and follow us home."

"Got it." without any other protest, he got out of the car and Jisoo, who sat there conflicted, watched as he walked towards his car in the vacant parking lot. 

It wouldn't have been burdensome if he were to drive but knowing Jeonghan, his way was the 'best'. Tugging the blazer off once the car started, he handed it back to the CEO who grabbed onto the fabric, letting Chan take it out of his hold soon after and wrap it around himself instead. Before, Jeonghan would get irritated due to the wrinkles that could appear on it, but at this point, he couldn't even deny his son either. 

Let's just say, Jisoo had an interesting night.

/

Jisoo wasn't sure why he was awake at 6:32 AM. Was it because he was too used to the school schedule and getting into the routine of waking up, making coffee, eating breakfast and then getting ready? Nah. It was just the consistent knocking he heard at the apartment door. Lifting his head up just slightly, he looked at the red digits on his clock through his blurry vision and squinted.  _Scratch that, 5:33 AM._ Through the mess of blankets, he found his pillow and shoved it against his face, hoping to drown out the noises. _Missionaries? No, even for them - it's too early. Hansol and Seungkwan would_ never  _come this early to my place either._  At first, the knocking subsided and Jisoo sighed in relief as he turned onto his stomach, holding the pillow to his chest and went back to sleep. Or tried to. 

Until the knocking picked right back up again. 

At this point, his sleep was thrown right out the window. Well, that's what it felt like when he sat up from his warm spot and then got off the bed, trying his hardest to ignore the sudden wave of the morning cold air that seeped through his windows. Groggily walking to the front door, he looked through the peephole and had to look several times, fearing that it was just a hallucination. But it wasn't. Fumbling with the lock, he opened his door and there stood Jeonghan in all his glory and also a Chan that looked incredibly enthusiastic. 

If he was able to, he would have fainted on the spot.

And that's how Jisoo ended up in the kitchen making coffee for both him and Jeonghan, while Chan went to go, and he quotes, investigate his apartment for anything... weird. Who was Jisoo to get in the way of his imagination. Sliding the steaming mug towards Jeonghan who sat in one of the dining chairs, he watched as the elder eyed it for a moment, his bottom lip jutted out at the slightest as he focused on what was in front of him before bringing it to his lips, tilting his head back. Turning his head away, Jisoo filled his own mug and that's when the awkwardness settled in. 

"Small."

Casting his gaze towards him, he leaned against the counter, head tilt in wonder, "What is? The mug? I could get anot-"

"No. Your place is."

 _Oh._ he blinked.  _Oh. Sorry it's small._

"Teacher's pay isn't all that great and it's not like I've worked there long enough to up my pay."

"Then there's no point in continuing that job if your salary isn't great."

"It's not just  _my_ salary, it's everyone's," Jisoo paused, clicking his tongue, "Besides, I enjoy working with kids so I don't think I'll leave this position any time soon."

"... Interesting." 

And that's when it got silent again. Jeonghan on his phone, his thumb swiping away any notifications that would appear every time he would find something that interested him or just flat out ignoring any other human contact other than his own. Jisoo, on the other hand, had to keep an eye on Chan who continued to run around his apartment, sometimes exiting his room - to which Jisoo had nothing to hide, so he left it alone, and then watched as he almost ran into the shelves several of times. His grip that continued to tighten more and more on his mug, he feared it would shatter right in his hands. 

A whole cup of coffee later and Jisoo put his mug in the sink, sliding into the seat in front of Jeonghan, keeping the safe distance, "So.." he trailed off, watching as Jeonghan seemed unfazed at his attempt to start a conversation. The teacher turned his head just slightly, suddenly feeling the burden of having to continue the conversation pushing down on his shoulder as he clicked his tongue, keeping a tight lipped smile, "What are you still doing here?" he saw Jeonghan's gaze flicker up to look at him, to which he quickly added, "It's not like it's bad you're here or anything - I was just wondering because y'know, you're kind of a busy guy.  _Kind of?_ More like, you are a  _very_ busy CEO type of guy and yeah, uhm, and you're here, at my place, ju-"

"I have time."

_Time. I wish I had time to just sit around._

"I figured your schedule would have been busy."

"Are you stereotyping me, Hong Jisoo?" His blood ran cold as Jisoo clasped his hands together, fidgeting in his seat, or trying not to. He could feel his throat dry, almost cursing himself out mentally. But all of that stopped once a chuckle soon followed, "Joking. I'm joking."

"Your jokes are the worst." he blurted out, placing his hand over his heart, wrinkling his shirt as his fingers clutched onto the soft material.

To which Jeonghan's amusement, another muffled chuckle escaped his mouth as he turned his phone off and kept his gaze on him, "You're interesting, Hong Jisoo. I'll keep that in mind."

Hours later, Jisoo was busy managing  ~~four~~  three kids. (Several times, Jisoo had to remind himself that the human being sitting on the couch and watching kid cartoons while ordering him to get him food was not a child). Hansol, Seungkwan, and Chan managed to make a huge mess every hour that Jisoo had to clean up. Jeonghan just sat and watched the TV or him, most likely drinking something that was provided for the kids but who knows at this point. Not Jisoo. Currently, the kids were busy playing hide and seek, which was quite the win for Jisoo considering they were not near the living room at all, leaving the adult and the  ~~kid~~  other adult alone. Peering over to Jeonghan, Jisoo stifled a bitter laugh once he saw his eyes closed, napping away as the TV blared loudly. He was a bit surprised his neighbors haven't knocked on his door and complain about the noise in his apartment.

Just in time, someone knocked.

Mentally, apologies after apologies were invading Jisoo's thoughts as he walked over to the door and opened the door, only to be surprised to see Seungcheol there, looking absolutely frantic that Jisoo somehow felt pity, and he wasn't quite sure. "Did you need something?"

"Is Mr. Yoon here?"

"Uhh.." he trailed off, glancing over his shoulder to see Jeonghan carefully crawl off the couch, in a vain attempt to hide away. 

"I've been searching for him all day and no one at his place wouldn't confess and that's when I remembered  _you."_

" _Me?"_

"Yes,  _you._ Anyway, this is the last place he could have been. Mr. Yoon is supposed to dine with his father today and his wife two hours ago. Luckily, they are patient but I need Mr. Yoon  _right now._ " that's when Jisoo moved aside almost immediately and he heard a hiss behind him. 

Just a few seconds later and Seungcheol had Jeonghan's ear pinched between his index finger and thumb, forcefully dragging him out the door, leaving Jisoo to just silently close the door, pretending he didn't witness any of that. 


	4. IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Name
> 
> New Times Roman
> 
> Class
> 
> HEADER ! ! !
> 
> Okay, literally, college kicked my butt and I missed writing so much? The break -- I thought I was gonna be free but n o p e ! I start school back up on Wednesday as well as next Monday and I am definitely upset because I was unable to write as much as I wanted to. But it was eventful. And again, Rest in Peace. I'm hoping I can update more frequently this term or something? But for the longest time this break, I lost muse for everything and it was so upsetting. But hey that JiHan oneshot I started is hopefully going to be finished soon and I started a new one just hours ago and I'm excited. AH BUT FINALLY, THIS STORY IS GETTING SOMEWHERE. FROM NOW ON, maybe, IT'S GONNA  BE CUTE FLUFFY JIHAN WITH CHAN. Buuut look at me add in like four holidays I deliberately passed on accident because everything s u c k s ! ! ! ! Until next time!
> 
> P.S.: unedited omg so idk if there's typos gtg

It was eventful for Jisoo.

The various holidays that were stacked by one another; Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and was New Years considered an actual holiday to him? As a teacher, he had think of small events he could do with the class; also being mindful of the ones who didn't quite celebrate that holiday so, of course, he thought of another alternative event that usually just lead to coloring and drawing. Nonetheless, they all seemed to pitch in. For Halloween, it was just a play day. Jisoo got a few things done as a class, setting reminders of what to do when trick or treating and assertively assuring the safety that parents neglect to tell their children about, even if they were to coddle the said children. Seemingly after that, Jisoo took Hansol and Seungkwan out trick or treating, Chan asking to join them within seconds of bringing it up. A celestial-like sparkle that was embedded in his chocolate hues that the teacher just could not deny him at all. Thus, popped the question of Jeonghan's whereabouts. His demeanor died down, bringing up his father's work and how Seungcheol wasn't quite sure if he had the time to take him. So, after school, Jisoo really wasn't sure how he ended up at the grocery store with Jeonghan, without Seunghcheol and Chan. But of course, Jeonghan was wearing one of Jisoo's gray hoodies, the hood securely on his head, covering his beige hair. 

"So, about Halloween," Jisoo voiced out, grabbing a bag of candy off the shelf, placing it in the cart as Jeonghan pushed it forward, accidently bumping Jisoo; having heard a quick sorry from his mouth in its place. "Plans?" he hummed, dismissing the harm done. 

"Work," the elder responded bluntly, eyes glued on the candy filled shelves and mentally cringing away from the sweet, sweet substances that could cause harm to anyone; besides, he wasn't a fan of sweets at all. 

"And?" he attempted to voice out a conversation, digits lacing around the holes of the cart, pushing it forward, causing Jeonghan to stumble forth from his previous resting position, to which he grumbled but pushed the cart. 

"Just work."

"Well, you're off right now, aren't you? What harm is it to take him out in a few hours?"

"I got a call on the way to pick up Chan, said I gotta head back to review a few more things."

"Are you sure that can't wait?" Jisoo muttered, dark hues moving towards him, boring into the elder figure, eyes evidently saying something that Jeonghan recognized almost immediately.

"I-" Jeonghan stammered out, blinking a few times, "I don't know. I just.. Don't celebrate Halloween, this is the first year with Chan so I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to do." he was at a loss and the teacher nodded, understanding. 

"So, when you were younger you never celebrated it?"

"I did, per se, but I celebrated it with a nanny I had, rather than an actual parent. Besides that, Halloween never excited me, and I don't have a sweet tooth, unfortunately." 

His mouth formed into an 'o', nodding now. A hum deliberately vibrated against his pink lips, continuing to tug the cart forward before dragging him to follow him towards the beauty necessities; where he needed to load up on utilities such as shampoo, condiitoner, soaps, and all the likes. The pads of his fingers that brushed against the bottles, eyebrows furrowed as he read the labels, evident enough, his indecisiveness was absolutely prominent and Jeonghan couldn't help but muffle laughter that threatened to peek out from his lips. Tearing his gaze away, it settled on the various hair dyes that were aligned perfectly along the shelves, gnawing on his bottom lip.

"Gonna dye your hair again?" the other asked all of a sudden, breaking his focus immediately. 

"Ah, just looking."

"Wouldn't look bad if you went with that dark brown you've been eyeing at." Jisoo put his own things into the cart and tapped the dye box, "Plus, your roots are showing anyway." he teased, hearing a mock gasp elicit rom Jeonghan's mouth, "Ish. Okay, joking, joking. It's not bad. But doing a quick fix up with this is cheaper anyway."

"Isn't box dye bad for your hair?"

"Hey, it's cheaper," Jisoo spoke in his defense before just grabbing two boxes, mischief glinting in his eyes, "You'll fit in with the normal people and won't stand out. People won't even recognize you're  _the_ Yoon Jeonghan from behind especially. No more hoodies to cover up! And wow, no more of me running around with your blazer on me. Yeah, deal?"

"Are you dyeing it for me?" Jeonghan spoke unsurely.

"Well, now that you're asking.." he trailed off and then grinned wholeheartedly, "Sure. I'll mess it up rea- I mean, I'll make it perfect, Mr. Yoon!"

"Whatever." he sighed, fearing the results of his hair as he watched the dye being placed in the card and finally, their grocery shop came to an end. 

And what surprised Jisoo the most was Chan arriving at his house at 6 PM sharp with both Jeonghan and Seungcheol to accompany them.

/

"Hey, quit moving," Jisoo hissed, gloved hands that were caked with dye hovering above Jeonghan's somewhat sloppily dyed hair from his consistent movements.

".. It's Thanksgiving, please refrain from doing large damage to my hair because I do not want to look like a fool today." the CEO breathed out warily, watching as Chan bounded into the open bathroom, eyes widening in fascination and mouth parted and then shifted up into a grin as he climbed up onto Jeonghan's lap and situated himself there.

"It smells gross!" Chan chirped with so much happiness laced in his tone that Jisoo broke out in fits of laughter and Jeonghan let a chuckle escape from his lips.

"Alright, Mr. Yoon, I'll make sure this looks perfect," the teacher mocked and then rolled his eyes, "I just went to drop Chan off from my house and you dragged me inside to do your hair, so, can't complain about anything."

"Alright, but-" Jeonghan went to go protest but found nothing, zipping his lips in a mock manner.

"Mr. Hong, Mr. Hong!" Chan suddenly sang, "Are you staying with us tonight?"

That caused Jisoo to stop, quirking one eyebrow at the mirror, meeting Jeonghan's gaze for a moment. Jisoo wasn't quite sure if he actually planned anything. He was so caught up with school once more and creating that small project of the five finger hand turkey it crossed his mind. Junhui or Minghao didn't seem to bring up any events either, he was almost certain they were just going to spend it together. Then Jisoo never spends proper time with Hansol's family to even try showing up. His family was back in America. It almost shocked Jisoo that he didn't even realize that Thanksgiving sincerely dawned upon him and no plans were made. There was no bitter feelings, it's more like a 'God, where did the time go?' moment for Jisoo as he continued to carefully thread his fingers through the strands of Jeonghan's hair, lathering it up in the brown dye.

"Jisoo," Jeonghan's voice broke him from his thoughts and hazelnut apertures locked onto his, "If you're not busy, would you like to join us?"

"Well," he hummed, glancing down at his own attire, "I sincerely came here in just sweats and a sweater, without thinking I was going to be invited for dinner. But, I have no plans so I guess I can join the Yoon household for tonight. But I should head home after this and get dressed in something more fitting, yeah?"

"But Mr. Hong looks good already!"

A flustered laugh was heard from him as he shook his head quickly, finishing up the remaining dye for Jeonghan's hair and discarding the gloves and everything else in the dye box and threw it out. 

"Then tonight?" Jeonghan hummed, keeping Chan from bouncing in his lap consistently.

"Yeah, tonight."

Let's just say, Jisoo had a fun night and Jeonghan's hair accentuated his beauty so much that Jisoo's heart kept fluttering.

/

Jisoo can list off various reasons as to why he wasn't quite fond of Yoon Jeonghan. The CEO was so prideful, so selfish, and he could barely take care of his own kid. He was cocky, smug, he was all those deliberate negative words that Jisoo hated in a person. But he was also obliviously sweet that Jisoo craved the type of words and actions he would see only when he was with himself. The way he could admire Chan and Jeonghan's relatively growing stronger and sharing something so sweet and innocent that it made Jisoo's heart melt. _Okay, but I just listed out reasons why I like him._ Jisoo carefully hit his head against the wall, a loud sigh escaping his mouth, groaning after.  _Think, think. There's nothing great about him anyway!_ The teacher has been going through an inner turmoil for the past few weeks, ever since thanksgiving and was at a complete lost. Jeonghan tainted his mind; embedded himself into his mind so that's all he could think of. And, it was scary. It was unusual. And his dumb self agreed to go out with the said CEO today to do last minute Christmas shopping as well as buying decorations for Chan's mini Christmas party to which he invited Jisoo, Junhui, and Minghao, along with the staff and Hansol and Seungkwan. Knowing the staff, it was going to be a large party. And knowing Jeonghan, it could grow with invitations since he was linked towards every company in existence. 

He heard his phone go off, a single 'Here' from Jeonghan lit up on his phone screen and he waited a few minutes, not wanting to seem desperate, before leaving his home.

Jisoo watched as the window rolled down and was surprised to see Jeonghan in the driver's seat instead of Seungcheol or Mingyu, perhaps even Wonwoo. "First time seeing you at the driver’s seat," he spoke slowly, clearing his throat before opening the passenger's door, sliding into the leather seat, his gaze trailing along Jeonghan's features, admiring the way his brown hair was tousled, rather than the usual neat appearance, scarf that was loosely wrapped around him and porcelain-like skin seemingly more prominent today. Slender fingers that reached down to put the gear back into drive.

"Yeah, I mean, I wasn't going to call anyone for this simple outing. But watch out, I'm a bit careless," he grinned wickedly and sped forward, leaving Jisoo to fear for his life. 

It was now Christmas, Chan was currently situated on Jisoo's lap as he waited for Jun and Minghao to now arrive, Hansol and Seungkwan occupied with the food there and wondering around the large home. Staffs, that weren't even supposed to be on the job, were still doing their job for some unknown reason. It was odd seeing everyone in such casual attire. He felt the seat next to him dip, his gaze immediately settling on the source; Seungcheol. 

"Hello," he responded curtly, offering a smile.

"Hey, Mr. Hong." he beamed towards the other, a cheeky smile appearing on his face as he leaned over, tapping Chan's button nose deliberately before pulling away before his own was tapped.

"Jisoo," the teacher corrected once more, causing Seungcheol to laugh a bit, nodding.

"Alright, Jisoo." the assistant teased, ruffling his hair, "Know where Jeonghan is?"

"Ah, not quite, I saw him disappear a while ago but other than that, haven't seen him since."

"Interesting." he hummed, tapping his chin, "Y'know, he never does any events like these, even before Chan, but I feel like it wasn't Chan's arrival that made him do this," he trailed off, piquing Jisoo's interests and before Seungcheol could continue, the door began to open, causing a sheepish smile to grow on Cheol's face before Jeonghan walked back in, covered in the smallest flakes of snow, followed in by an embarrassed Minghao and Junhui. Though, they looked relieved when they saw Jisoo; in their hands were also presents for Chan and the other kids. 

"Hi!" Chan beamed, jumping off of Jisoo's laps to give the two a hug and then into his father's arms, where he was picked up almost immediately.

"You didn't tell me you were out." Seungcheol said, raising one eyebrow.

"Got a call from Jun for some help and so I had to guide them a bit here." Jeonghan responded nonchalantly.

That's when their Christmas event was a blast, filled with music and Chan's friends, as well as continuously bringing in any of the other adults when he could; showing Jun and Minghao's fondness for dancing whenever Chan dragged them out. And again, Jisoo noticed the subtle stares that were brought towards him from a certain CEO.

/

It was until it was New Year's that Jisoo's heart continued to beat rapidly against his chest. He was pressed against Jeonghan's workdesk. Gulping, he watched as the CEO came closer to him; eyes set on him as if he was a prey. He wasn't quite sure what happened but he was dragged out by Jeonghan to his office in his home before the new years was going to occur. Next thing he knew, he was trapped inside, barely pressed up agains the chest but Jeonghan was so close that he was unsure of what to do.

His smell wafted in his senses; light and sweet, it was absolutely intoxicating towards him, it made his head spin. Shallow breathing was heard within the blanketed silence, eyes locked onto one another. It felt tense but Jisoo paid that no mind as he averted his gaze from him immediately. Suddenly, he wished he had someone to fall back on at this moment in time. Have someone pester him just before midnight struck. But nope, he was not occupied and was dragged off so carelessly without a word.

"Jisoo."

Jeonghan's voice was gruff, low even. It meant no harm; it held no danger. It was soft and gingery, the way it grew sultry really made Jisoo's heart flutter once again. Not bothering to respond, his gaze was back on him, blinking a few times, feigning innocence.

"I want you.."

He could hear the chants in the other room, hearing the seconds tick down, one by one.  _10, 9, 8, 7..!_ Their breaths mingled, Jeonghan's gaze never leaving him. _5, 4, 3.._

"To be.."

_2.._

"Chan's babysitter."

_1! Happy 2018, guys, we made it!_

But Jisoo's hand collided with Jeonghan's cheek as soon as 2018 rang true, the close proximity not only startling him but his words as the slap echoed within the silent room.

" _What?!_ "


	5. V

_As soon as Jisoo's hand made contact with Jeonghan's plush cheek, silence shrouded them immediatlely. The cheers of a new year was suddenly drowned out behind the door, no longer ringing loudly in either of their ears. He blinked a few times, mouth now falling open as realization dawn upon him. Hong Jisoo, just had slapped the famous CEO, Yoon Jeonghan. He could make jokes about selling off his hand on Ebay for millions of dollars just to get the money he needed, but this was no joking atmosphere. It was silent, tense even. It kind of scared Jisoo to no extent, he was wary about the outcome. The teacher's hand was still hovering over Jeonghan's cheek, watching as a vermillion shade crossed his cheek, in the shape of his smaller, frail hands. His gaze was glued on it, mesmerized for some unknown reason before blinking multiple times once more, in an attempt to snap out of his said thoughts that seemingly seemed to cling onto him desperately so he didn't have to accepted his cruel fate against the CEO's wrath._

_"Oh my god," Jisoo voiced out finally, bringing his other hand up to clasp over his mouth, the one that made contact with Jeonghan's cheek was still outstretched; frozen in place._

_Jeonghan blinked once, then twice, his own hnad reaching up to press against his throbbing cheek with the angry red hue that grew heated against his palm._

_"I-I'm so sorry!" tthe teacher stammered out, letting the scene replay in his head, the sickening skin to skin contact flitting back into his ear as both his hands were outstretched cautiously, in hopes of reconciling with the elder who remained silent, staring at him blankly as his pale hand continued to rest gingerly against the tender spot._

_".. You know," Jeonghan finally began before pausing once more, the younger dreading his words mentally but kept his physique confident externally, watching as he rubbed his cheek, "Just flat out rejecting me is the normal response, sometimes even having an explanation as to why you cannot be Chan's babysitter, rather than your approach, where you just ourigght slapped me as soon as the new year surfaced." the elder rolled his eyes, dropping his hand back down to his side, "That's a new one that should be added into the book of taboos."_

_"I'm sorry," Jisoo repeated once more, "You were just so close and I wasn't really thinking straight and so I -- panicked!"_

_"I was just negotiating with you, wasn't I?"_

_He was at a loss of words. He wasn't quite sure why he reacted that way, he should have just listened. Maybe because he's spent so much of his time with Jeonghan lately, it made him taken back. But then again, he should be used to the close proximity that happens between them. It wasn't rare for their hands to accidentally brush against each other when they're standing by each other or reaching out for something. Evidently enough, sometimes the big CEO would lean over Jisoo to grab something off his desk. Jisoo's obvious reaction is tensing up as his heart thrums rapidly against his chest in an odd manner; as if he was some teenage girl that finally was able to talk to her crush. Jisoo couldn't put his finger on whatever the hell he was feeling, but he had an idea, and he'd prefer to deny it entirely. There was no way, after all. Perhaps, whatever hazardous feelings he was going through on this rollercoaster of a ride was finally catching up with him and made him freak out. He'll just go with that._

_"Unless there's something that I've been doing that made you feel odd?" Jeonghan's voice brought him back to the reality of the situation, hearing as his voice dropped down a few octaves; low and guttural, hushed even, afraid that someone else would hear them, even though it was impossible. "What are you thinking about?" curiosity laced his very voice, inching closer to Jisoo, and he could feel his hands grow clammy once more._

_Jisoo bit down on his bottom lip for a moment, gnawing on the soft, pink flesh, even as the pain began to blossom gently, pulsing lightly. He ignored his words as his sharp eyes flickered between him ad the door that was beckoning Jisoo to run out before he could embarrass himself. "I'm gonna have to decline that offer."_

_"And why is that?"_

_"I'm already his teacher," he enunciated, leaning forward to prove his point, "I don't think I should make myself his babysitter either." he said slowly, unsurely, watching his expression grow blank once more, "It's a form of professionalism on my behalf. Also, it could be seen as favoritism.  I don't want others to think that, nor do I want the schoolboard to hear about it." Jisoo paused, averting his gaze, "Besides, I shouldn't be relatively close to you in this aspect, but, here I am."_

_Jisoo grew wary as Jeonghan grew silent again. the gap between them was nonexistant once more as Jeonghan loomed over him, and that embedded not only fear but budding anxiety that was in the cirumstance as he boxed in, Jeonghan's palms pressed flat against his desk. His gaze bore into Jisoo, even as he looked away, not being able to properly look at the elder in the eye, fearing that his words were harsh against his said pride, "Then quit."_

_He stilled at his words, almost as if he thought he heard it wrong. But it rang so loud and clear in his ears, it was unmistakable, "Excuse me?"_

_"Quit." he retorted simply, "Teachers don't get paid that often and I can provide you all the money in the world to keep you going, that is, if you accept my offer."_

_There was something about his words that irritated Jisoo. It was as if he didn't care about why he was a teacher; he thought of him as someone who desperately needed money, rather than enjoying his job. Clenching his jaw, his hand reached up, resting against Jeonghan's chest and pushing at him, "I'm not just someone who needs money, Mr. Yoon." he hissed out for a moment, venom dropping onto his name, "I already told you I have this job because I want it. I'm still Chan's teacher and I'm able to supervise him, but he is your son." Jisoo poked at his chest, causing him to back up at the slightest, "And_ you  _need to actually take care of your son and be there. Not Seungcheol, not Mingyu, not Wonwoo, not me, or anyone else that resides in his household or is in his life that acts as his parent figure more than you are," he looked up to look at Jeonghan, eyes filled with determination, "The world doesn't revolve around money and power either, Jeonghan."_

_"In this world, it does," he snapped back for a moment, "It's a dog eat dog world, Jisoo, and clearly, you must not know how this works out. I'm offering you a large chance to earn money easily and quickly to pay and support yourself. Don't think I don't know." his head was cocked to the side, "You say that you don't need it, but you're still struggling. We both know this. Why don't you just make this easier on yourself an--"_

_Another slap echoed in the silent room and retreating footsteps, following by the door slamming shut was heard._

_/_

Present time, Jisoo was still angry. The teacher was still bitter as he was reading through not only his students' assignments but paperwork the school sent him to look over that involved his opinion on either making the Kindergarten year productive level increase and become more of a challenge and if they should cut off the music aspect of school, which was stupid. It's been a week or two since he saw the CEO, aside from the local news about the new deals he sealed or allies he created within the whole business world. Either way, the teacher, even with his brooding attitude, was not able get away from the infamous Yoon Jeonghan. Lately, Seungcheol or Wonwoo had been picking up Chan, which was fine with him. Until his bitter feeling rests easy eventually. 

Currently, he was residing in the cafe he always lounged in to do his work whenever he got sick of not only the educational environment, but his home as well. Jisoo was planning on it for him to be alone, up until Jun decided to follow after him, probably to smooch off of him when it came to free things, that Jisoo continued to wholeheartedly pay for. But also because Jun barely sees him mad and he wanted to savor the moment and tease him about it at some point in his life. The teacher was on the same page, tapping his pen against the table lightly, yet even as his eyes perused through the text, Jun knew he wasn't even paying attention. 

"Still pissed?"

Silence.

"Earth to Hong Jisoo?" the staff member lilted, bringing his coffee up to his lips and tilting his head back as the warm substance invaded his mouth, leaving the gentle bitter taste behind.

"Huh?"

"Is Mr. Hong still upset?" he mused, tilting his head as he earned an annoyed glare from him, laughing quietly. 

"Absolutely not," Jisoo huffed out, angrily turning the page as he jabbed at the page with his pen, the ink bleeding through, "Me? Upset? No way. Not. At. A--" as he wrote down his name, the pen decided to suddenly become vulnerable as the tip broke, ink beginning to ooze out. Immediately, Jisoo clasped his hand around it before it could get on the paper, his hand getting covered in ink in no time as Jun hurried up and grabbed napkins to wrap around the pen. Today just wasn't his day. That's what he silently concluded as the wrapped pen was taken into the other's hand, shooing him off to the restroom to wash his already ink stained hands. 

Begrudgingly, he pushed the door open, noting that it was empty. A deliberate sigh befell from his lips as he made work on cleaning his hands. Eventually, he tilted his head up and was met with his tired expression. There was a permanent frown line and it made Jisoo rethink a lot of things. As the soap turned into a pastel blue, he let the water run between his hands, cleaning them entirely until faint ink splotches remained on his open palms. Thinking it was enough, he grabbed paper towels and dried his hands, nodding to himself as he silently made a pact with himself, exiting the bathroom to see Jun packed up his things already and looked ready to go. 

/

Like Jisoo already stated, his day was already bad and it just got worse. He wasn't quite sure what he did in the past life to deserve this forsaken day but he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to cry or just change his name and live under a different alias and leave Korea in general. Seemingly, all his bad luck sprouted here and he knows what they say; cut off the toxic ties. But he wasn't able to. Now, he just stood there silently as people left his room, fancy, expensive workers, actually. The thought of the bill was already going to make Jisoo faint but he kept a strong demeanor, watching them all file out.

Long story short, Jisoo's pipes somehow managed to burst while he was out and gallons of water was wasted and eventually seeped into his neighbor's ceiling. 

And not only that, until they fix everything, Jisoo couldn't live here.

So, he had to pack up his things, any necessity and utilities he needed. Jisoo already ruled out the idea of staying at a hotel because prices could up drastically during his stay and he wasn't about to use the money that he  _didn't_ have. Jun and Minghao were also ruled out, because well, they were Jun and Minghao, and the bickering duo wasn't his cup of tea. Hansol's family will always be ruled out. Jisoo can't leave his job and live with his parents or relatives in America. And that left him with one other person. 

Smiling thinly at the last worker, he took out his phone and hovered over their contact, sighing deeply before calling them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok not the best update bUT IT GOES ON FROM THERE !! who's proud that i updated??? bc im proud of myself!! i decided to update right after class before i work and study for my finals because i wanted to come back to the fic where i can aDD IN ALL MY CUTE FLUFFY IDEAS!! aaaah, what's an updating schedule ; n ; BUT HEY SEVENTEEN'S COMEBACK IS SOON AND IM SCREAMING !! 
> 
> until next time < 3
> 
> dsjfjdsk probably some typos im s o r r y


	6. VI

Jisoo woke up, terrified.

At first, it was peaceful; stretching out across the unusually, yet comfortable large bed, rubbing both of his sharp, feline-like eyes tiredly until he was content and looking around until his vision cleared respectively, letting the blotchy image turn into something comprehensible. 

And then he bolted up.

Jisoo didn't know where he was.

/

_"Hello?"_

_"Hey."_

_"Who is this.. Oh — Mr. Hong?" his voice was low, the sound of paper shuffling was growing increasingly louder on the other line, "I'm busy right now, so if you need anything, make it quick, I have a meeting in a few minutes."_

_"Oh, if you're busy, then ne_ — _"_

_"You've already went out of your way to call me and invest in the limited time I have. Spit it out; I don't have all day."_

_Jisoo gnawed on his bottom lip, teeth digging into the plump flesh as he rolled it between his teeth, feeling the pain beginning to blossom as he sighed heavily after, the soft wisp dragging out much longer than needed; leaving him to stand against the wall of his apartment room outside with a frown dancing on his pink lips. "I don't know how to put this.." he trailed off, "I just.. Maybe it was just pointless in calling you_ — _actually, I'm not even sure why I called you.." he inhaled deeply, eyes fluttering shut, "It's just.."_

_"Hong Jisoo." his statured voice ruined his already feeble thoughts, "You make it sound like you committed a murder, don't drag this out. ... If you did commit a murder, I have a tendency to not immerse myself in complicated matters, so if you need me, call me later th_ — _"_

_"Wait, no, Mr. Yoon! I need something from you."_

_"... I'm listening."_

_"I.." the teacher trailed off, running his fingers through his soft tresses, letting it tangle amongst the strands, curling around his fingers, "Something happened at my place.."_

_"The small one?"_

_The latter refrained from rolling his eyes, biting down on his tongue before he conjured up a snarky reply, "Yes," he paused, "The small one, Mr. Yoon." he responded, exasperated, earning a soft indignant hum from the elder, "Anyway, something happened and one thing lead to another and seemingly, I can't stay at my place so.." he trailed off once more, hoping the CEO received his message clearly._

_"And?"_

_"You're making this incredibly hard for me, Mr. Yoon."_

_"Just about as hard it was on New Year's, Mr. Hong."_

_Jisoo winced before sheepishly responding, "I need a place to stay."_

_".. Meet me at the cafe nearby your place."_

_"Don't you have a meeting, Mr. Yoon?" the younger stammered out, jumbling over his words, eyes widened at the sudden proposal._

_"Seungcheol, hey, clear my schedule."_

_"Jeonghan, I'm literally going to kil_ —"  _the sound of a click thrummed lightly against his ear and the dial tone, signalling the call ended._

_Before Jisoo thought about heading out, he packed up a few of his things into the suitcase, as well as grabbing his school bag that held his papers and of the likes before sliding back into the leather interior of his car, starting the ignition, and setting off; his luggage tucked neatly in the back while his bag sat pliantly on his passenger's seat. The teacher mentally cursed at how close the cafe was before he could gather his scattered thoughts that poked at him incessantly. He stayed in his parking spot once he got there, staring at the building that loomed over him, beckoning for him to come in. His gaze shifted over, noticing a car pull into the parking lot, finding a space quickly, and out Jeonghan came from the backseat and walked steadily into the cafe, glancing around before disappearing, leaving Jisoo's sight. With his forehead pressed against the wheel, he exhaled deeply, "You can do this, Hong Jisoo. Just don't.. Think about what happened and you'll be all good," his hand reached up, clasping gently around his keyring, turning his keys, and shutting the ignition off, "Yeah," he spoke with a much more confident lull, with a common verbiage that didn't seem to make him enthusiastic at all. Opening his car door, he stepped out, shutting the car door after and walking to the cafe door, his hand resting against the handle, "The worst thing he can do is say no and I have to find a different place. .. Or the streets." he left it at that, stepping in._

_Already, it was a mess._

_"Jeonghan, is this necessary?" Jisoo seethed, glaring at him through his bangs, watching as the CEO crossed his arms, staring at him blankly._

_"Of course it is. Safety measures like always."_

_"You used to never make me do this anymore."_

_"Well, people are staring now. Would you like to be on the headlines? I'll even personally pick the photo they take of you and print that magazine out in a jiffy," he huffed out a response, rolling his eyes."Now, I'm not here to argue about my blazer and how it's covering you. What is it that you need?"_

_Jisoo mimicked out a huff of his own, hugging the blazer closer to him as it covered his head. His gaze was shifted away, hands tightening on the tan fabric, letting it hide his face as he spoke, broodingly, "I need a place to stay at."_

_"What about Jun and Minghao's?"_ _The teacher sent him a look through the peeked crevice of the blazer, eyebrows raised, eyes tilted knowingly at him, a scornful pout on his lips as Jeonghan clicked his tongue, nodding his head, understanding immediately. "I have nothing against you staying at my home, but I just wanted to hear your other options."_

_"Hansol may be my cousin and his family is close to me, but I find that a bit awkward, and my family lives in America. In the given time this happened, I wouldn't be able to transfer back; besides, I would just be rere..re..re.." he paused, licking his chapped lips in thoughts, counting on his fingers, "re..transferred back into this education industry."_

_"That's a lot of retransfers."_

_"Well, staffing requirements, substitute teacher work, and all that before I could finally became a teacher. That's about it."_

_"I'll let you stay," Jeonghan began, watching his eyes light up in excitement, "If you accept my own offer of babysitting Chan now." his lips curved into an amused smirk, head cocked to the side, delicate brown strands moving along his head movement. "And I hope I'm not getting slapped again."_

_".. It's only fair. Now, it's convenient too." he mumbled, letting the blazer lower for a moment, causing the elder to lean over, thumb and index finger grasping onto the fabric and tugging it forth to cover his raven hair. "It's the least I can do.. After all, you're letting.. Me stay.. Until my place is all fixed up," his breath hitched, feeling his cheekbones flare with a red hue, ".. Please forget about that." he responded hoarsely, playing around with the blazer, "I can take care of everything else; you don't need to do anything for me."_

_"If you're going to live at my home, you'll be treated like someone who would reside here permanently. Besides, as host, I'll make sure everyone tends to your needs, clear?"_

_"Jeong_ — _"_

_"Are we clear?"_

_Dejected, Jisoo slouched in his seat, nodding his head, ".. Clear."_

_"Good," Jeonghan spoke, snorting softly as he slid over a key ring where a silver key resided through the loop, "Seungcheol can only keep the meeting held off for so long, so I must tend back to it. I'm assuming you don't need a ride back to my place, and you don't have work either so I'm not gonna make you wait at my office to go home so invite yourself in. Chan is currently out with Wonwoo. Doing what? I'm not quite sure." Jeonghan stood up, signalling Jisoo to stand up as well, in which the younger scrambled up, hugging the blazer tight to him once more, face peeking out now. "Come." he hummed, one arm slinging around Jisoo's neck, bringing him closer as they walked to the exit together._

_Jisoo's senses went haywire, blinking rapidly for a moment at the close proximity, feeling his throat tighten as he tried to clear it several times, earning an odd look from Jeonghan, to which he just smiled, mumbling something about an itch he felt in his throat._

_"Be sure to rest up when you get there then." he escorted Jisoo back into the car, watching the teacher fumble with his car keys and unlocked it, sliding into the driver's seat. Jeonghan extended his hand out, gaze shifting from the blazer, to his hand, Jisoo's mouth falling open in thought and then realization decorated his face as he tugged it off his head, every strand of his hair going everywhere; shooting up, giving Jeonghan an image of a lion, causing him to stifle a laugh. His hand reached out, smoothing over the raven locks, "I'll see you tonight."_

_Dazed, he nodded absentmindedly as the door shut, watching him walk back to his own vehicle until he disappeared inside._

/

His mouth curved into a gentle 'o' shape, lazily blinking as he rested back against the comfortable mattress, head hitting the pillows immediately. With his body sprawled out, his eyes shifted around the decently decor'd room, hummng thoughtfully. A desk resided in the corner, next to the door that lead to the bathroom. Besides that door, the dresser resided there, his suitcase leaning against it. The other wall had a large window, silky white, translucent curtains hanging overhead of it, a small, lonely succulent resting on the window sill. "I'll get you a friend," he chorused out, eyes remaining on it before moving away, continuing his small adventure. A bedside table was to his right and left, finding it seemingly convenient. Turning onto his other side once he heard the door creak open, he saw the familiar face of the small child peeking in. 

"Mr. Hong!" Chan cried out happily, pushing the door open, ignoring it as it slammed against the wall as he shuffled inside, jumping onto the tall bed, crawling over him, and clinging onto his upper torso.

A grunt fell from his parted lips, his arms wrapping around him cautiously, "Hey, Chan." he murmured, ruffling his hair, "Sleep well?"

"Mhm!" he chirped, nodding his head, "You did too," he wheezed out, "You were already asleep when I was home! Papa said not to wake you up but it's been so long," he leaned up, patting his cheeks with his small hands, giggling gently, "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, well.." he trailed off, lips jutted out, "Something happened at my home, so your.. Papa is letting me stay here until it's all fixed up?"

"Really?" Chan spoke excitedly, eyes glimmering with fascination, "Well, I hope it never gets fixed so you can stay here forever!"

Jisoo couldn't help but laugh, cooing lightly at his behavior, "We'll see." 

"Chan? Oh, there you are." Jeonghan's steps halted outside the door once he glanced through the door that was open before inviting himself in, prying the child, who protested, off of Jisoo, "Did he wake you up? Chan, what did I say? You're not supposed to wake him up," he scolded, the pouting child who huffed stubbornly, turning his head away, causing Jeonghan to roll his eyes.

"A-Ah, I was awake, actually. Chan didn't do anything, he was fine." 

".. Alright." the CEO muttered, his gaze shifting towards the clock, "Should probably get ready soon. Come down when you're done."

Jisoo followed his gaze, gasping once he saw the time, "Shoot," he croaked out, shuffling out of the tangled sheets, almost falling face first onto the ground before scampering his way into the bathroom, dragging his suitcase along, leaving the two males to look at each other and shrug before walking out.

By the time he was finished getting ready, he already knew he was running late. Grabbing his bag off the desk chair, he smoothed his tousled hair after, and then straightened out his cardigan. Bolting out of his room door, he walked down the narrow hallway, picking up his pace before quickly walking down the stairs, passing the kitchen, until he heard not only Jeonghan, but Mingyu's voice telling him to stop. Backtracking in his steps, he looked at the two confused, "Yes..?"

"Breakfast." Mingyu said, pointing at the table with his spatula, seeing Jeonghan sitting down in his office attire, scrolling through his phone, Chan sitting besides him, his coloring book open as crayons littered the table. 

"Ah, but I'm running late already, I've gotta head to class and check in with so—"

"Doesn't mean you should skip breakfast." Mingyu scolded, eyes narrowed, "Are you going against a chef's word?"

"Don't even try to slip past him," Jeonghan hummed, "He won't let you go."

".. Yes, sir."

"And, you're older than Mingyu." the CEO rose one eyebrow as Jisoo sat in one of the chairs, looking at him startled with the new information, before sighing thoughtfully.

The table was quiet between the three as Mingyu was finishing up last minute things; Chan asking Jisoo to color with him while Jeonghan stayed glued on his phone, typing away furiously, perhaps responding to neglected business messages he never bothered to get to. "Isn't that funny?" Chan asked, tilting his head at Jisoo, who blinked, nodding in response. The whole story got tuned out without him realizing. It wasn't helping that the smell of breakfast wafted into his senses and made him permanently smell just that. It's been a while since he was able to make breakfast properly for himself.

"There's usually a chef, but I sent him off." the elder spoke out of the blue, placing his phone down as he rubbed his face, "So, Mingyu is our replacement."

"Ah, well, I can cook too if you'd like. I can use that as another thing to make up for your offer." Jisoo spoke softly, "Just.. This day I overslept, but I can do it. I know Mingyu is busy."

"You know how to cook?" Mingyu asked, setting up their plates.

"Of course, watched my mom do it all the time until she taught me what to do." the teacher replied, looking at the plate set in front of him, "I could sub in if you'd like. I wouldn't mind."

"And teach Jeonghan while you're at it." Mingyu mused, clapping his hands after, "Done!"

"I don't need to be taught," the elder brooded, beginning to eat once he grabbed his utensils.

"I'll be sure to teach Mr. Yoon how to cook."

"Atta boy." 

Jisoo couldn't help but smile, tilting his head downward as he smiled bashfully.  _I think I can get used to this._

"Hey, Hong Jisoo, stop spacing out, go eat before you're even more late." Jeonghan muttered, tapping his place with his fork, sending him a knowing look.

_Just gotta adjust around him more._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello thanks by seventen is such a blessing in my life
> 
> also
> 
> updates at 3 am tiredly but thats okay ! ! ! ! ! 
> 
> i have many things planned for this story now but i gotta evenly space them out so it's not rushed im wheezing 


	7. VII

It's been eventful.

Perhaps Jisoo was exaggerating and his definition for eventful was different from everyone else's but considering the cirumstances he was in, residing in a famous CEO's home along with the child he teaches, amongst being tended by staffs from time to time, Jisoo was  _incredibly_ overwhelmed. The whole week was filled with surprises that the teacher probably should have expected, but let it drift into the back of his mind for last minute thinking. Jisoo was more used to living alone, than inhabiting a shared place, with people who frantically darted along the long hallways and actually tended to his needs.  _Even my own family doesn't tend to me constantly._ Rather than complaining, it was a bit more uplifting for his spirits since he felt  _so_ important in this household. Aside from that, he doesn't really wake up alone in a house and have to hurry out the door of an empty apartment he only ever just grades and sleeps in. It just wasn't as bad as he thought. Jisoo got along well with Seungcheol. The two would often run errands together, or Jisoo would be heading out and Seungcheol would tag along because Jeonghan was taking too long and by the time they're back, the CEO was barking at Seungcheol to hurry up. They spent most of their time passive aggressively talking about him, but somehow, it would often drift to good things and Jisoo wondered where those thoughts came from since his mind was usually nitpicking every little thing he did.

Mingyu and Jisoo weren't that bad. Every time Mingyu was over, he'd brew up a new recipe for Jisoo to learn and then gave him full reign in the kitchen. Lately, Jisoo's been going out to buy ingredients to wake Jeonghan up early to cook breakfast, courtesy of him watching and teaching him, despite Jeonghan grumbling and trying to sneak off to sleep more. Considering how loud Jeonghan doesn't realize he is, Chan would yell at them from upstairs and moments later come down to watch as he sits on one of the stools, hoodie on his head, lace tightened to an extent, and try not to fall asleep, often being caught by Jisoo before he gives up and falls over. Somehow, Chan always made it into his arms and is lulled to sleep by Jisoo's step taps as Jeonghan watches them discreetly. Mingyu then would criticize Jeonghan's work and encourage him to do harder, earning a grunt as he shovels his food into his mouth. And that was that.

Wonwoo and Jisoo on the other hand, Jisoo felt a little awkward and intimidated by him. The atmosphere was always.. silent. Always tense. They would greet each other like normal, bathe in the awkward silence, and then part ways once Jeonghan or Seungcheol greets them. It wasn't until Jisoo was lost one day and stumbled upon a makeshift library. The room wasn't that large; shelves were encased against every inch of the wall, all of them packed with books, new or old, and comfortable chairs were lounging about. At an awe, he walked inside and began to look around. Minutes passed before he heard the door open and Wonwoo came in, looking at Jisoo oddly, staring at the book in his hand and a fond smile was on his lips; they had a  _long_ book talk. 

Jeonghan and Jisoo, they were a piece of work. Constantly arguing every time they can, but somehow it would simmer down, Jisoo always apologizing first, Jeonghan following suit. Maybe it was Jisoo's way of putting up the walls he swore he'd keep up in the beginning of the year, when they were both in his office. He wasn't sure why his heart fluttered, why his cheeks grew red, or overall, why he felt like himself near the CEO. He wasn't sure at all. They finally adapted to one another, Jisoo tending to him and Jeonghan checking up on him every now and then. It was a routine that the two could agree with. Aside from Jeonghan and Mingyu creating yet another routine for him because seemingly he didn't take care of himself properly enough. Lack of food, lack of sleep, and incredibly stressed. He could still hear Mingyu's  _'No wonder you're so frail!'_ and Jeonghan's agreeing hum. Jisoo wasn't sure if he should have been offended or not but just awkwardly smiled, one eyebrow quirked up as the two devised a plan that would lead to his demise.

His hazelnut hues bore into the mirror, gaze dropping down to the smile that was already forming on his lips. Blinking a few times, he let it drop as his hand unconsciously went over his chest, clutching at his shirt's fabric. Hearing the faint buzz of his phone against the counter, he looked at it, Jeonghan's name appearing. ' _Hey, come down to eat. I know you have to leave soon.'_ His eyes moved up, glancing at the big white bolded numbers on his phone and silently cursed as he finished smoothing out his clothes and stumbling out of the bathroom, out of his room, and down the stairs. 

"Has Minhyun turned the files in?" Jeonghan's voice was heard as Jisoo walked down, adjusting his button up shirt, causing him to cease his footsteps entirely.

"Mmm.." a pause before Seungcheol continued, flipping through the papers, "Not yet, seemingly Nayoung hasn't sent in her part of the file either.. You know what that means."

"That we can't advance forward with the plans already laid out," the CEO huffed out, his utensil scraping against the plate irritably. "That's fine," he breathed out eventually, letting it land on the plate with a clatter, "We can still continue with the plans; you know how they work, better late than ever. Besides, their part just consists of.. seeing the worth in it all. As high of a status he bears, there's something.. conspicious about him, and I'd like to find that out rather than accepting a deal blindly that could lead  _our_ office down the wrong path and eventually maybe our own demise." a bitter chuckle elicited from his lips, "Which I highly doubt, but bringing up the inevitable is all we can do for now until everyone pitches in with their files and we can sort it out."

"Suppose so," Seungcheol slurred out, closing the manila folder with a sigh, his head dropping into his hands, "Is it even a good idea for you to even go? This could be a risk, Han. The last thing we need to being doing right now is taking a risk, especially since everyone wants you on the headlines.. Hell, some even want your head for tarnishing their image. I don't know about this one.. This one seems absolutely.. What's the word.. Sketchy? I guess that's a slang to use but it reprimands the other words itching to escape."

"What else is there to lose?" Jeonghan muttered, rollling his eyes, "We can't sit around with our asses exposed either. If we sit and wait, they'll get to us first. Even though we're.. what do you call it..  _tight-knit,_ that doesn't mean someone's bound to find the blindspot we're trying to work hard on."

"But no one's found it yet." the other pointed out, fingers tapping lightly against the table.

"I guess you're right. But I'd rather strike first, Cheol."

"Understandable." he nods.

The two grew silent and Jisoo took that as an opportunity to walk in with a squeamish smile. He wasn't quite sure what he heard but he decided to ignore it entirely, perhaps it wasn't even meant for his ears in the first place. Despite that all, he thought that business world was scarier than he originally thought it would be, "Good morning." he chirped, running his fingers through his locks, tugging at the knots that curled around his digits, and then let it drop down to his side, his eyes going over to the plate that was filled, "I'm just gonna assume that's mine." he mumbled, curving around Jeonghan before pulling out the chair, settling into it.

"Good morning!" Seungcheol responded immediately, his smile bright and welcoming while Jeonghan just nodded, answering his question before grabbing the manila folder, flipping through the contents inside. "Did you sleep well?" 

Jisoo, who was chewing on his food, covered his mouth before nodding, "A little restless," his voice muffled behind his hand before swallowing his food, "But it was okay. I hope you slept well, Cheol. Did you get any sleep at all, Mr. Yoon?"

Both their gazes flitted back towards him, knowing full well he never got a proper amount of sleep. And from what Jisoo heard, this time around was busy and Jeonghan, being the top status, had to be in his tip top shape and make the right decisions. Even if the headlines always managed to either put him in a good light or manipulate his words. Sleep clearly wasn't in Jeonghan's vocabulary, and that worries Jisoo. Especially when he hears him enter the household at around 2 am, heading back into his office room, and passing out hunched over the desk. 

"You already know the answer to that."

Before Jisoo could protest, Chan bounded down the stairs, his hair a mess and uniform unkempt but sufficable enough to get through the day. Well, until Jisoo got him into his grasp. Most of his food was consumed and that just gave the teacher an opportunity to slip away from Jeonghan's eyes that bore into him to finish his meal and tend to his responsibility; Chan. He grabbed the sleepy child, who protested weakly, before placing him into his lap as he easily fixed his uniform. After that, he slipped his fingers through his hair, combing through it gently to make him more presentable. Switching places, he set Chan down on the seat, "Go eat your breakfast. I'm gonna go grab my stuff and we can leave when you're finished." 

Chan just nodded, sleepily saluting towards his teacher as he grabbed his smaller fork, heading lolling over to the side, which was quickly caught once Jeonghan's hand reached out, uprighting his son back up.

By the time Jisoo came back downstairs, his bag was slung over his shoulder. Seungcheol was helping Chan slip on his own bag. He looked much more awake as he bounced up and down in place with a giddy expression, having it brighten once he saw his teacher. "You ready?" he voiced out, head tilt as he offered a gentle smile.

"Yup!" Chan nodded happily, trotting over to his side before halting, looking between both Jisoo and Jeonghan as he remained conflicted for a moment, hands clasped together as he furrowed his eyebrows. 

Seungcheol nudged Jeonghan gently, watching as his eyes pryed away from the papers, towards Chan, before sighing reluctantly, outstretching his arms. 

Chan's demeanor changed immediately as he rushed back into his father's arms, tackling him and wrapping his arms tightly around his frame, Jeonghan wrapping his arms around him as well, settling for a kiss on the forehead before nudging him off to go back to Jisoo. A giggle was heard before he slid off and walked back to Jisoo, grabbing his hand and grinned, "Okay, now I'm ready!"

/

Jisoo lived a simple routine just like that as he slowly adapted to his surrounding and slowly eased into his new life. Well, until his own home gets fixed, after all. He was still able to go about his day like normal, aside from the new morning experiences he went through. Wake up, get ready, get reminded by Jeonghan to eat breakfast, wake Chan up if he's still asleep, eat breakfast all together, grab his things, and take Chan to school with him. Though, he was reluctant about taking Chan with him so early, but Chan became his little helper and helped him set up his classroom before his students came in. Seungcheol or Jeonghan would pick Chan up after school, leaving Jisoo to either attend meetings, have his own free time with Minghao or Jun, or grade papers and head home to either Jeonghan and Chan or Chan and Wonwoo until Jisoo takes his place. It wasn't hard to adapt to, not even when he was the one who cooked their dinner. He always took into consideration of Jeonghan's likes or dislikes and went about it. Though, he was never sure if the elder would make it in time to have dinner with them; in fact, it was rare. But still, Jisoo left food out for him in case he didn't feed himself throughout his day. 

Recently in his class, he did a mini project, or activity, would be the appropriate word. The cliche tissue paper parachute activity where they test out how long their parachute could stay up in the air with a penny, paperclip, or anything else attached to it. After that, they could play with the parachutes all they wanted after, safely. He kept an eye out whenever one of his students stood up on the chair or table while trying to drop their parachute as high as they could. Without knowing, this very assigment caused an idea to brew in Chan's head.

And that's how  _both_ Jisoo and Jeonghan went through arriving home with a tissue paper parachute either falling in front of them or on top of their head with a note attached at the end that just beared a simple heart. 

The teacher would praise him while Jeonghan remained indifferent, but that didn't stop Jisoo from seeing the piles of Chan's small gifts piling at the corner of his desk whenever he brought in Jeonghan's paper copies he was told to grab. Even though it wasn't much, Jisoo couldn't help but feel happy at the sight of it, every time he was called into his office and then out so he can tend to dinner and his own things. 

On the weekdays, his phone would always ring at the same exact time. An hour right after he gets home, his phone starts ringing and he already knows who it is each time.  _Jeonghan._ He always asked about Chan, how he's doing, and if there's any news he had to share, and Jisoo would return the favor and ask how he's doing, along with the others. And just in time, his phone began to ring. He was seated on the floor, right besides Chan as he did his homework, with the quiet hum of the movie playing in the background. His thumb slid to the right as he answered the call, waiting for Jeonghan's face to appear on his screen, as his video camera settled in the corner. 

" _Hey_ ," was Jeonghan's simple response, despite the sound of his fingers tapping the keyboard filled the silence in his office room at his company.

"Papa!" Chan voiced out, his pencil forgotten as he grabbed the phone out of Jisoo's hand, the camera angled differently on his face, appearing up close, causing Jeonghan to chuckle lightly.

" _Hey, Channie_ ," he crooned, his tone soft, " _How are you? How was school_?"

And that's when he began to rant and talk about his day, Jeonghan letting out thoughtful  _mhm's_ or _oh yeah?_  which Jisoo found all the more amusing as his pen glided along his own paper, writing down next week's plan into his binder. It wasn't long before his phone was nudged against his bicep, looking down at Chan's doe eyes that was filled with purity and innocence, it made Jisoo's heart thrum with something he couldn't quite figure out. "Bathroom," he wheezed out, as Jisoo took the phone from his grasps, nodding and telling him to come back after, which the child saluted once more and hurried off.

" _How are you doing?_ "

"Me? Hmm.. I guess I'm doing okay. I'm just working on lesson's plans. My throat kind of hurts, but it's probably because I had to talk nonstop today during class and the afterschool meeting," Jisoo sighed softly as he propped his phone up against something, moving it around so it caught him properly, "And you? How's work?" 

" _Same as it always had been. I'm finishing up an email right now before I head off into a meeting."_

"Ah, I see," the teacher murmured, nodding thoughtfully, "Are you coming home right after the meeting?"

" _That's what I'm hoping for, but knowing how these always turn out, I'm not quite sure if I'm gonna be home before you make dinner, or if I'm just gonna end up coming home around the morning again._ "

Jisoo frowned immediately at his words, his teeth sunk into his bottom lip after, contemplating his thoughts, " _Jeonghan --"_  he began, catching the CEO's attention, "You know what I'm gonna say."

" _That I shouldn't be doing this, but I can't control what happens either, Hong. Just don't wait up, is all I can say. This is important._ "

Pursing his lips, he muttered out, "Fine."

" _Just fine?"_

"Just fine."

" _You're hard to read."_

A soft hum vibrated against his pink lips as he shuffled through his paper, eyes drifting towards the phone screen as the corner of his lips quirked up, head cocked to the side, "So are you, Jeonghan."

" _I guess I can't deny that._ " the CEO chuckled, shrugging loosely before looking away from the screen, " _Huh? What was that? The board of directors are already here? ... Alright. Have these printed out and brought to me before the meeting starts then. I'll go greet them and show them around in the mean time."_

Jisoo could hear the door shut before he mumbled, "Heading out now?"

" _Unfortunately,"_ he paused, licking his lips, " _I'll see you guys later. Be sure Chan goes to bed on time, he's been grumpy lately."_

"Understood. Good luck on the meeting."

"... _Thanks."_ and the facetime ended as soon as Jisoo formed his plan with a determined nod.

/

His eyes continued to fall shut, eyelids growing heavy as he managed to stifle his yawn. Jolting awake, his vision was blurred as he squinted at his clock.  _3:13 AM._ Rubbing his eyes with his hands, another yawn threatened to move past his lips.  _You know, this plan.. it's probably the worst plan I've ever came up with. I didn't even take anything else into consideration._ Jisoo mentally bemoaned the fact that he was gonna have to chug down cups of coffee before leaving the house and probably order another one at the cafe, but with an even stronger dosage of coffee, with a complimentary drink of hot chocolate for Chan. His excuse was that he liked it anyway. As his eyes slowly shut once more, he could hear the faint sound of the door opening and shutting, causing him to blink a few times, hopefully blink the sleepiness away,  but that didn't quite work. He waited and waited, his fingers clutching the bedsheets gently. Jisoo wasn't quite sure how much time passed as his mind blanked and eyesight came back into focus. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion before chuckling bitterly.  _This lack of sleep is driving me mad._ He sighed loudly, rubbing his eyes once more before standing up, walking to the door. Peeking his head out, he saw the light dimly shine underneath the door.  _Jeonghan's office._ The teacher refrained from rolling his eyes before walking towards the door, his hands curling into a loose fist before knocking on it with the back of his knuckle and then entered the room, meeting Jeonghan's surprised gaze.

"I thought it was going to be Chan at first. .. What are you doing awake?"

"I should be asking you that," he smoothly avoided his question, slurring his words together as he leaned against his desk, tired gaze drifting along the piles of papers on his desk. "You got home a few minutes ago and you're doing work. What did I say about your sleep schedule?" Jisoo scolded, his face expressing a scowl as he grabbed the pen out of the CEO's hand as he just watched him, stunned.

Clearing his throat, he calmly replied, ".. If you're here to scold me, make sure you're awake first." his words halted, watching the red hue that soon dusted along the younger's face, "And you have to be awake in.. what... less than four hours." Jeonghan quirked one eyebrow up, watching as the pen was now in the other's hold, "So, I can't tell who's really at fault now."

Jisoo sighed, his demeanor slouching as he couldn't quite form his own comeback to his words, mentally scolding and brooding as he pursed his lips for a moment, ".. Then, can I do something to help you sleep? Like make you tea or..." he asked, his tone laced with sincerity as he leaned over, smoothing out a strand from his hair, "Makeup can't cover your eyebags forever." he teased lightly, eyes forming into soft crescents, earning an amused smile from the elder as he swatted his hand away. 

"Mmm.. Maybe something else."

"What is that 'something else'?" Jisoo watched Jeonghan's lips curve into a knowing smirk and he couldn't tell if he regretted this or not.

"You'll see."

It wasn't until 3:48 AM that his office was finally empty and papers were neatly stacked on the wooden desk. The lights were finally all off in the Yoon household and there wasn't a sound to be heard. Aside from behind the closed door that lead to Jeonghan's room. That was different. Jisoo bundled up under the sheets, Jeonghan's arms wrapped tightly around him. The younger laid there stiffly as his own arms were wrapped around him, hands clasped loosely as his head just barely rested against the elder's chest. He was wide awake, his eyes blown up wide as he laid there stiffly. Minutes passed of silence as he began to fidget underneath the sheets, in his embrace. "Han," he started, letting his nickname roll off his tongue perfectly fine, "Are you asleep yet?" he asked for the nth time, tilting his head upwards, gaze peering up at him, "Jeonghan?"

"How many times are you gonna ask me that?" he seethed, feeling his hot breath fan above his head. 

"Sorry," Jisoo muttered, his nails digging into his hand for a moment, "Just checkin' up on you.. to see if you fell asleep or not."

"Well, I can't seem to fall asleep because someone keeps talking to me."

He winced, "If you put it that way, it makes me seem like a bad person, and this is just  _so_ awkward."

".. Hey, it's been a while since I've.. actually done this, but it's always calming. It still is. There's just something about you," he mumbled, his face buried in his hair, ".. Tell me about yourself."

Jisoo could feel his heart thrum against his chest, singing a melody of it's own as it continued to palpiate. As he tried to level out his breathing, he barely caught the elder's words as he blinked a few times, processing his words, before clearing his throat, "What do you want to know about?" he questioned, eyebrows furrowed, "My life is kind of average."

"Anything," was his simple response.

Jutting out his lips, he thought for a moment, letting his eyes flutter shut, "Well," he began, unclasping his hands, instead, clutching the back of Jeonghan's shirt, "I'm an only child. I was born in America. I always wanted to be a teacher when I was younger, uhm.. There's not much to say."

"I bet you can elaborate on at least something from that. Why'd you come to Korea? Aside from the relocations and all that, was there something else that influenced your decision?"

He bit his bottom lip now, letting his teeth sink into his bottom lip, scrunching his nose up briefly, "I guess there was something that influenced. My father.. he's a teacher, back in America. He was originally one in Korea, but then he met my mother and they decided to start anew in the big LA," he mused softly, thinking back on the story, "Books always interested me.. Seeing them stacked up on my father's desk; whether it dealed with his classes or just in general, it fascinated me, and it was always my goal to come to Korea. I was so involved in the American life, I was always curious about Korea. How my parents used to live, the places they used to visit, and the happiness they once sought out for. I didn't think I'd ever be relocated here and I accepted it in a heartbeat." he hums, ".. I missed out on a lot. My parents' memories are from here, and it's too bad I witnessed it so late in my life, but hey, better late than never, right?" hearing the shallow breathing above him, he tilted his head back up, hearing the soft snores escape his parted lips, causing him to roll his eyes for a moment as a smile creeped up on his lips, "So much for story time, huh." he jabbed at the small of the elder's back, earning a quiet grunt from the elder as he was pressed closer to him.

 _It's not so bad to do this, right?_ he thought as he let his head now rest against Jeonghan's chest, hearing his quiet heartbeats.  _I'll let myself go just this once._ One last sigh fell from his lips as his eyes shut, immediately falling asleep.


	8. VIII

Jisoo felt under the weather.

His sinuses were clogged and his body was being dragged down from the this week's exhaustion. Perhaps he got himself completely sick from stress and it was finally taking a toll on his body. He was glad it was the weekend, though. He didn't want to file in for a sub that he didn't quite trust without meeting and Jun or Minghao couldn't  _always_ sub in for him. He thought, despite getting sick, he was thanking God it was on weekend, rather than a weekday. The sickness was another story he couldn't bring himself to talk about, in fear of him silently cursing on and on about it, just like what he wanted to do now as he laid on the bed, feeling heavy and  _disgusting._ His head didn't feel clear and he could barely process the situation. Jisoo had to breathe with his mouth open for his airway to properly comprehend that he is indeed capable of breathing as a whole. 

Jisoo turned on his side, nuzzled and cuddled deep within the duvet. His mouth was slightly parted, inhaling and exhaling as his sinuses began to act up, restricting him from leveling his breathing properly, or even breathe in general. His hands clutched tightly at the soft fabric before relaxing, a minimalist sigh escaping his mouth that was soon covered by the blanket as he rubbed his face onto it. The warmth radiated brushed against Jisoo's face, warming him up almost immediately, perhaps worsening his fever without realizing as he patted at the blanket, letting a gap form and invite the cold air in underneath his blanket, shivering but sighing in relief, satisfied by his small gesture. The teacher groaned softly, grabbing his phone after a while and clumsily texting Jeonghan along the line of him being way too sick and to not let Chan into his room at all. Tossing his phone to the side, he turned his head to bury it into the pillow instead, despite it being hard to breathe. 

Moments later, the door opened.

Jisoo quickly lifted his head up, spotting the CEO step in, the door shut behind him before Chan could barge his way in. The teacher furrowed his eyebrows at him, watching him draw closer, expression blank before he felt a warm hand pressed against his forehead. "How could you have gotten sick?" Jeonghan muttered, not meaning to reprimand him, his tone genuinely curious before he heard a sigh, "I'll get you medicine before we leave. First, since you're not fit enough to take care of Chan, what can we do? Wonwoo and Mingyu are busy doing their rounds in Busan and Seungcheol has to come with me to manage the people at the office."

Jeonghan retracted his hand away from Jisoo, watching as he loosely shrugged, turning on his back, tangled up in the sheets, body flushed. The CEO pursed his lips at his response, his index finger tapping delicately against his chin, his gaze lingering on the now bundled up figure that stared back at him, feline-like eyes blown up wide; curious and tired. 

"Can.. Chan go to your work place?" Jisoo asked suddenly, his tongue running across his chapped lips, out of nervousness, watching as Jeonghan looked at him, waiting for him to add the  _Just joking_ response, that he never got, "You know Chan isn't a handful. He's stuck to you like glue, and even to Cheol." 

"Jisoo, this is an office we're talking about. A very, _very_ popular office that's always bustling with activity and clearly not a safe environment for a child his age either. He can get lost, reporters swamp that area, and there's.. inadequate people that come in and out of that building that I don't trust. That place, whatsoever, is not fit to be a daycare site."

"A school isn't either, Jeonghan."

Again, his lips were pursed.

The teacher sat up, keeping the blankets closed to him as he sniffled, clearing his senses as his back was hunched over, looking absolutely dejected, "I don't know, Jeonghan, I don't want to get him sick and the only best option we have right now is for him to go with you and Seungcheol. It also gives you another reason to actually come home early for once. Think of this as a bonding experience. Just make him bring his homework and the book I know he checked out, it'll distract him. It won't be too bad."

Jeonghan contemplated it, before grunting out, "Fine. I'll bring him along," it was clear he didn't necessarily agree but it was their only option they had right now and he couldn't argue with the man who adamantly sat there, sick, without peeving one of them off. "You," he paused, pointing his finger at Jisoo, "Better get over this sickness soon. I don't have time to do this," he sighed out before grumbling, "I'll get your medicine." with that, he turned around and left.

/

"Is that your son?"

"Ah, he's so cute!"

"Well, if it isn't Mr. Yoon's infamous son that popped up on his doorsteps in the middle of the night."

"Didn't think I'd be able to witness this."

"More like, I didn't think this would ever happen."

"Papa.." Chan's voice mumbled as he buried his face into Jeonghan's neck, the ends of his hair tickling him at the slightest as his grip tightened around him, squeezing him firmly.

"Ignore them," was all Jeonghan muttered, entering his office once Seungcheol opened the door before hearing it shut behind them. 

It was silent between the three of them, aside from Seungcheol flipping through the papers in the folder and tossing it onto his desk. Jeonghan grabbed the chair that was propped up against the wall and slid it by the corner of his desk before setting Chan down on it. "You just have a meeting in a couple of hours," Seungcheol spoke up for a moment, gaining his attention, "The company finally responded and is coming down. Only free day they have is today,"

Jeonghan's nose scrunched up as he sat in his own chair, "An earlier notice would have been better, but alright. Once they solidify a time, inform me right away."

"Yes, Mr. Yoon," he teased gently before leaning over to ruffle Chan's hair. "Oh, and be sure to pack up for the business trip in a few days. That commerce company in Osaka has been trying to phone you for a while but.." his gaze averted towards the manila folder, indicating for him to read it over, "I don't necessarily agree with it, but it's worth checking out." was what he concluded, earning a nod from Jeonghan, signaling for him to leave, to which he did.

Feeling Chan's gaze linger on him, he met his gaze, both of them just silently looking at one another before his son broke out into a large grin, his dinosaur backpack propped up on his desk as the CEO sighed out, shaking his hands gently.  _It's going to be a long day, brace yourself._

Chan was dejected upon hearing from his dad that he couldn't spend time with Mr. Hong today because he was sick. Of course, he put up a brief fight, claiming that he wasn't going to get sick before not only getting scolded by Jeonghan, but Seungcheol too. The child merely frowned at the idea before asking where he was gonna go then. He was _very_ surprise once he heard that he was going to his father's office; some place he thought he was never going to see, but he couldn't help but feel that little bubble of excitement once he realized he was going to visit the place his father spent most of his time at. Even if it was a bitter realization. Chan was up once they told him to pack up his homework and the book he got at the library from the school. He stuffed them all into his dinosaur backpack and raced back down, demanding for Jeonghan to hold him, to which he obliged. 

Once they got there, Chan was at an awe.

_It's bigger than my school!_ was the only thing that went through his mind as his gaze was on the large building and as they walked in, it was the prettiest sight he's ever seen in his life, but he didn't dare utter a word as they went into the elevator, Jeonghan and Seungcheol's words drowned out as he examined the area. Chan always played that game; a game where he investigated and checked out places to make sure they're safe for the people he cared about.  _I have to know if this is safe for papa and uncle!_ He was determined, even as he shrank away from the words people were saying once he saw him, as they walked down the hallway, passing the offices and open lab with cubicles that bore witness to the child in Jeonghan's arms. His shred of confidence that was once there, withered away once his face was buried into his dad's neck, hiding away from the unfamiliar environment.

Though, as time passed, Chan became comfortable.

His homework was done and his book was long forgotten in his lap as he began to chat with Jeonghan about this week's class lesson. It was something he always did, even before Jisoo began to live in their home. He gloated about his 'smarts' and how great of a person Jisoo was in general. Usually, he would be cut off by Jeonghan, who would  _always_ say he was busy, but the male just sat there, nodding his head along every time his son spoke and continued to type away on his laptop. 

After a moment, he spoke up, "Can I play with uncle?"

"Good idea," Jeonghan responded immediately, his typing ceased as his gaze flickered over to Chan, smile forced, almost relieved, "Do you have your book and everything else?"

"I have my book," Chan responded, waving it around and then tilting his head, "Can I leave my bag here?"

"Yeah, of course, whatever you want to do."

"Do you promise to take care of my dinosaur backpack?" he frowned, unsure of his words now once Jeonghan was typing again, the screen reflecting back against his round glasses.

"Yes, I promise Chan." he murmured, "It's safer here anyway. You'll end up leaving it somewhere in the office and lose it. I would say we could buy it again if you do but your homework isn't replaceable. So, it stays here, but take the book with you to Seungcheol."

"Okaaay," Chan drawled out, jumping off the seat as his small feet thudded against the floor quietly and then walked towards the door, opening it and waving at Jeonghan and then exiting, closing it behind him.

Now that he was walking on his own two feet, he didn't realize how _small_ he was compared to everything else in this building. 

With his book clutched tightly to his chest, he ventured on, head up, chin tilted upwards pointedly, while his lips remained pursed. His hands were curled into tight fists (careful of his book, of course), as he marched on, his footsteps echoing along the narrow hallway. Chan could hear the faint, bustling noise that evidently lead to the cubicles. That's when he halted.  _Where's uncle?_ he thought to himself, blinking a few times as he glanced around a few times, head peeking into the rooms secretly before quickly bolting away. A sigh made its way past his mouth as he dragged his feet against the carpeted flooring.  _I'm not lost, I'm adventuring. Adventuring!_ As the determination filled him once more, he bumped into something or  _someone._

A squeak fell from his mouth, falling down onto his rear. Chan whined, feeling the familiar clog of his throat as tears stung at his eyes but he didn't dare let his tears fall.  _I'm a big boy!_ His hands scrambled for his book that fell beside him before hugging it tightly to his chest, looking up to see an unfamiliar man now crouched down in front of him.

"Did you lose your parents? Is it one of the clients here?" he rose one eyebrow, head tilt to the side, "What's your name?"

"I'm not telling you!" he yelled, panic lacing his tone as his eyes widened, shaking his head, nose scrunched up.

"I should have approached this differently," he muttered before sighing, his gaze locked onto Chan, to which he returned, "Let's start over. I work here and I help with.. Er.. finding lost.. things or people. And you, correct me if I'm wrong, are considered a lost person, right?"

A nod.

"Alright, then it's my job to help you find whoever came with you, got it?"

Another nod.

"Anyway, now that the explanation is out of the way," he paused, "I'm Minhyuk, and you are..?"

".. Chan."

"Chan? Okay, Chan, do you remember which room your parents went into?" 

Eyebrows furrowed, Chan responded, "He works here!"

Minhyuk scoffed lightly, "Works here? What parent brings their child to this job?" 

"That's Mr. Yoon's kid." someone chirped in, head peeked out to reveal a woman with a bright smile that Chan was in absolute awe of. 

"Mr. Yoon's?" Minhyuk replied, clearly shocked before shaking his head, "What are you out here wandering for? It's dangerous!"

"I-I'm... I.." Chan stammered over his words, head tilt now, "I.. I'm looking for uncle.." he trailed off unsurely.

"Who's your uncle?" 

"S-Seungcheol..?" he responded, words slightly slurred. 

".. Ah. I know where he is. Follow me," he extended out his hand, to which Chan grabbed hesitantly and they were off.

The older male's legs were longer, meaning longer and faster strides. His own small legs barely managed to catch up with him as he stumbled before clashing into the back of Minhyuk's legs. The man leaned down and picked him up instead once he realized what was happening, and Chan sighed in relief, arms wrapped around his neck, book clutched tightly in his right hand so it doesn't fall. He was able to see the top of the cubicles and the people that resided, along with how  _large_ the work area seemed and his mouth was slightly agape as he chatted Minhyuk's ear off, demanding explanations about all this and what they do, and Minhyuk, being a chatterbox as well, began to explain everything thoroughly, despite Chan not understanding half of the things but he was just as excited anyway. 

With his legs dangling back and forth, the excited chatter never seemed to die down, even when he heard his name being called, "Chan?!" Seungcheol called, the sandwich he previously bit into fell back into the container as his hand reached up, wiping the crumb remnants that painted his face as he stood up quickly, chair falling back as he hurries towards them, "What are you doing out here?"

Immediately, he looked around for the source and screamed with joy, "Uncle, uncle!" arms flailing rapidly, legs kicking all the same as he tries to shimmy out of Minhyuk's grip, dropping his book in the process. "Papa said I can play with you!" his arms were now outstretched as he was pulled into Seungcheol's embrace, noticing the sheepish smile the elder gave towards Minhyuk.

"Found the kid wandering around the client hallway." Minhyuk muttered, leaning down as he grabbed the book and handed it back to Chan with a small smile, "There ya go, kid. .. Thought he was one of the clients' kids so I was gonna take him back. Long story short, I didn't think I'd ever see Mr. Yoon bringing his kid here."

"There was.. some complications at home.. Involving the babysitter." Seungcheol responded slowly, smile queasy, "Sorry for the trouble," he waved him off, added with Chan's wave, and turned around, back to his desk as he sat down with a sigh, Chan in his lap who beared a beaming grin, "Oh, why did your father let you walk around alone? Better yet, why didn't he call to inform me?"

"I dunno," he responded, shrugging loosely. "Papa was busy on his.. computer! He said I can play with uncle and so I left!" 

"Chan, it's not safe to wander around here alone. Always ask your father or me to accompany you if you need to go somewhere. You can ask Minhyuk too now, got it?"

"Ask papa, uncle, or Minhyuk, got it!" he beamed.

"Good job," Seungcheol praised before letting his index finger tap the cover of his book, "Let's read for now, yeah?"

"Okay!" Chan cheered, shifting around on his lap before opening his book to read to Seungcheol.

/

Jeonghan was furious.

Absolutely furious.

His usual breathing methods couldn't calm him down and his face was stoic as ever; blank and unfazed. His hands were curled into fists, his knuckles turning into a pale shade as they shook. His strides were long, quick as he made his way back into his office. His usual level head didn't quite exist in the moment, rather, it was replaced with frustration and utter annoyance. Before he could slam his office door shut, a foot wedged its way against the door frame, just before it slammed shut. The sound reverberated, hearing the door make an obnoxiously loud sound. Jeonghan didn't bother, he ignored the sound as his back was to the door, his hands now pressed flat firmly against the wooden desk, head hanging low. 

"Jeonghan." Seungcheol grunted, closing the door behind them, eyes narrowed slightly. The atmosphere was tense between them, quiet and unbearable. The outcome wasn't positive, but Seungcheol was adamantly standing there, arms crossed over his chest, lips pursed. "Listen, I'm so--"

"Your apologies mean nothing, Seungcheol." he interrupted him with a low growl. "What happened out there -- that was important. A meeting, Seungcheol! You know how long we've been getting them to come to the company so we can finalize the profits and product production. It was a way to  _seal the deal_ over our imminent weakness that you consistently bring up and get on my case for. Now, it's ruined. I doubt they want to contact us again after this," he grumbled, bitterly.

"You're acting like a  _child._ " Seungcheol seethed, "You act as if this just affects you, it also affects me, and everyone else in this damn company, so of course I know what you're going through. But listen, Jeonghan, this company is radiating much more than the rest in everyone's eyes, you'll easily snatch up a new deal to cover up that spot." he took a deep breath, calming his tone, "Rather than acting like a high and mighty CEO, you should be acting like a father," his tone was desperate, eyes wide, "You'll never get an opportunity like this. Chan -- he's your child, isn't he? Act like his father, instead of a damn CEO. The CEO position is temporary, Jeonghan, but the father position isn't. Once a father, always a father, but you're going to ruin that for Chan and soon enough... I.. I'm not sure what he'll view you as. Chan just had a small slip up, a mistake. What do you expect? It's his first time here, he doesn't know how anything works. Since day one, you've never bothe-"

Whipping around, his eyes were filled with anger, "I didn't  _ask_ to be a father. I  _never_ wanted to be a father, Seungcheol. I didn't want this at all. I never saw myself as a father, and I still don't see myself as one." slipping his glasses off, he pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment before continuing, "Do you know why I don't want to be a father? I don't want to be a father because I would _never_ be able to tend to their needs. I wouldn't be able to care for them or love them as a whole. I would see them for a few seconds and leave for hours on end and come home late at night and repeat that process. What's the point, Seungcheol? If I can't see my child and have those temporary feelings for them within that time span? Hell, I'm not even there for Chan. I didn't know about him, I  _didn't_ raise him. He was raised without me and suddenly, he's dropped off at some stranger's house in the middle of the night? What bullshit is that?"

"Jeonghan-"

"A child, a helpless child was dropped off at my house without my consult and I'm expected to take care of him? I can't take care of  _anything._ I find things or people I have to tend to  _utterly useless._ I never saw myself as a person to even do this. To raise a child,  _my child._ I never wanted this. I didn't want to bother with this kind of style. I tried, Seungcheol, I  _tried._ But no matter how hard I tried, it was  _futile._ Chan doesn't like me entirely, rather, he and I butt heads all the time to an extent that I feel like I'm not even his father. I'm busy, work consistently needs me, I  _never_ see him. We'll see each other for a few and then I send him off to school and head to work," he paused, voice shaking, as he slams his glasses down on his desk, ignoring how the metal part pierced his skin, "I'm not there to tuck him in, read him stories, or give him goodnight kisses like the classic cliches. I'm like a father who could care less for their child and it just adds onto the stress. That's the last thing I want; to be a father who doesn't give a shit about their child. I didn't ask for this, at all. I have no right to father this child, whatsoever. I wish I didn't marry, I wish I _never_ opened that door that night." 

His breathing was ragged, chest heaving before he heard the door slam once more. 

"Han, was that.."

"Leave it." he grunted, "He'll come back later." he turned his back towards Seungcheol again and sighed, "Conduct a letter of apology towards that company. Be sure to send the draft to me so I can look it over and revise it."

"But Jeonghan-"

"Choi Seungcheol," his tone was sharp, venom lacing it, "Did I stutter? I told you to conduct a-"

"-letter of apology towards the company, I got it." Seungcheol growled before turning on his heels, leaving Jeonghan alone in his office.

Hours passed and Chan never came back. Jeonghan ignored the worried feeling he could feel in his stomach, muttering something along the lines that he'll be fine. His fingers continued to type on the keyboard, fixing and revising the letter of apology before signing his name at the bottom of the paper with a loud sigh. He leaned back in his chair, lips pursed before letting his gaze settle on the ceiling. Hearing his door open, he decided to ignore it as his eyes shut.

"Jeonghan, you didn't have lunch today," Seungcheol started, "Did you want to go out?"

"I'm fine," he muttered, sitting up as he rubbed his eyes, "How's Chan?"

"Chan hasn't been with me."

He stilled. "..Ah, really? Alright."

"Did you finish revising?" he asked softly, tapping the desk lightly.

"Just finished," Jeonghan thought for a moment before standing up, "Better yet, I'll go get lunch," he saw as Seungcheol's mouth opened to say something but he looked at him pointedly, " _Alone._ "

The CEO wandered around the building, his eyes flitting at every open space viable in search of the certain small ravenette that liked to go on adventures. He nodded curtly, offering stiff, forced smiles as he wandered the halls, hands clasped together loosely behind his back, steps wavering, sometimes halting to peek into the rooms in case he missed the small spaces Chan would be hiding in. It was like that in every floor and all the employers became worried, thinking it was some sort of evaluation that determined whether they were going to get fired or quit their jobs. Jeonghan was  _stressed._ He was  _panicking_ over the disappearance of  _his_ child. His strides were much faster, and one look at his body language, something was  _very_ wrong. By the time he got to the ground floor, or the waiting floor was another name they liked to call it, he saw the familiar mop of black hair sitting in one of the chairs, legs dangling off the chair as he struggled to read his book, eyebrows furrowed. Clearing his throat, he walked over casually, standing in front of him for a moment and then crouching down with a small frown.

"Chan."

No response.

"Channie." his voice was much for assertive as his gaze dropped down, staring at the book before continuing as his hand grabbed at it gently, turning it over, "It'd help if the book wasn't upside down," he tried to tease, yet his voice was slightly strained as he noticed how unamused the younger look, his gaze somewhere else but at  _him._ "I'm sorry," he breathed out, earning his attention now, eyes blank, yet glassy, "I shouldn't have said those words, rather, I shouldn't have acted that way. I wasn't thinking properly and I was being selfish."

"Very mean," his voice was quiet, trembling towards the end.

"Yes, I was very mean." he confirmed, nodding his head, "I was very mean when I shouldn't have been mean. I didn't mean to blame you for everything, it just.. I don't know how to do this," Jeonghan admitted, sighing, "I don't know how to be a father, I wasn't there for you until now, and I'm still not there for you. I'm not good at this. I'm a lousy father, and I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"Y-You hurt my feelings," he hiccuped, rubbing at his eyes to stop the tears.

Jeonghan cooed softly, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, I'm so sorry, Chan." he whispered, sliding his hands underneath his arms as he tugged him closer, into his embrace as he seated himself onto the tiled flooring, ignoring everything else but him.

"Do you.. still n-not want me?" his voice was muffled against his chest, body trembling against his tight grip.

"No, I want you. I didn't think I'd ever say those words, but it happened, and I regret them. Even though I don't show it, I love having you around, I love you, Chan. You're my son, my everything, even though I'm a terrible father."

"You're not a bad dad!" he protested weakly, hand curled into a loose fist as he hits it against Jeonghan's chest.

The elder chuckled, "Thanks, Chan, but we know that's not true." he murmured, lips pressed against his head. "I'm new to this, I'm new to everything happening right now and I guess... I guess the stress got to me. The one little thing really shattered my patience, and I apologize for that. I shouldn't have yelled at you in front of everyone and leave you out there alone with Minhyuk. I shouldn't have said those horrible words either. Forgive me?"

".. Only if we get ice cream."

"We can get ice cream," Jeonghan responded immediately, squeezing him gently, "Let's.. try to get better, together, okay? I'll try harder, if you try harder too."

Chan pulled away to look at him, nodding, "Deal!"

Before he could respond, he heard his name being called, "Jeonghan?"

Turning around, he saw Jisoo looking mildly better, despite his face still being pale. "Jisoo?" he rose one eyebrow, "What are you doing here?"

Jisoo hurried over, offering the employers an awkward smile before he eyed the situation in front of him before squatting down to their height, "Seungcheol called," he began, watching as recognition crossed over the elder's face, "Checked up on me and then.. updated me." he responded warily, but his eyes looked at him with a warning gaze for a moment and then relaxed into one of relief, "But it seems like the situation calmed down, or was appeased."

"It was," he responded curtly, "You're still sick, you shouldn't have came," Jeonghan muttered, raising his hand to press the back of it against his forehead, ".. Huh, it went down."

"See! I'm feeling better," Jisoo chirped, a smile on his face, "I feel better so I came to pick Chan." he hummed, standing back up and offering his hand, pulling Jeonghan up carefully once he grabbed it.

"Are you sure you can handle him?" 

"Of course." Jisoo chuckled, "You come home in about two hours or three," he paused, looking at him seriously, "Or should I say, Chan and I are expecting you to come home soon so we'll be fine without supervision. I sent the staff home early too. It got stuffy."

".. If you say so." Jeonghan said reluctantly, giving Jisoo to Chan, who he immediately held.

"If anything happens, I'll give you a call, yeah?" Jisoo said, eyebrow quirked up, "Ah, and Seungcheol said you were going on the business trip soon, right? Should I start packing some of your stuff now?" he offered, head tilt.

"Rest for today, Jisoo, don't push yourself." he scolded, shaking his head, "Follow me to get Chan's stuff."

Jeonghan lead Jisoo to the elevator as the silence was filled with Chan's quiet talking about how his day went, leaving off what happened in the last few hours. He talked about Minhyuk and how cool and funny he was. His exact words, actually. Then he elaborated more and talked about how great Jeonghan's company was and how big it was. They passed Seungcheol, who greeted them with a smile and went back to tending to the employer's questions or if he went to criticize something of the likes. Once they were in his office, Jeonghan grabbed the book out of Chan's hand and slid it into his backpack, zipping it up carefully and handing it to Jisoo. 

"Here." he mumbled, before also turning around to grab the manila folder off his desk and handing it to Jisoo, "I also want you to have a look at this and then I'll see if a conversation should be held when I get home."

Jisoo took it wordlessly, nodding his head, "If that's what you like," he looks at Chan for a moment, "I'll take you out to eat after this, okay?" the younger nodded immediately, before his focus went back to Jeonghan, "I can drop something off for you, after? Just text or call me about what you want," the teacher looked at him expectantly, "Seungcheol told me you haven't eaten anyway."

Jeonghan rolled his eyes playfully, "Alright, I'll be sure to. Text me when you get there safely."

"Always," Jisoo mused, "I'll see you at home." he grinned briefly, eyes forming into crescents before turning around, leaving as Chan waved good bye to his father, as well as screaming it loudly.

To which Jeonghan just waved, a small smile playing on his lips before he even realized it.


	9. IX

" _Jisoo_ , I'm leaving on Wednesday and if I recall, it's Sunday and you already made me take a day off today. You know how important work is." Jeonghan huffed, running his fingers through his brunette strands, sending him a side glance, in which the teacher caught, looking at him with a warning gaze.

"Well,  _Jeonghan,_ knowing you and how long I've lived here, I've noticed the little things within this small time span." he leaned in closer, jabbing at the other's chest gently, "You leave personal things last minute and by the time you realize, you'll be packing up nonsense and things unnecessary for Osaka," Jisoo paused, turning away with a little  _hmph,_ "I'd rather you be prepared for your business trip."

It was silent between the two for a moment and behind him, Jisoo could feeling the teasing smile on Jeonghan's lips as a hum filled up the silence. He could feel a chill run up his spine but he ignored it, shaking his head as he braced himself for the other's words, shuffling through Jeonghan's dresser, "Is that your subtle way of saying that you watch me?" Jeonghan mused, a soft chuckle following suit, "And you're even worrying about me? What did I do in my past life to deserve such kind treatment?" 

"That's what I'm wondering," Jisoo asked aloud, with a lilt, gaze drifting up towards the ceiling, "What  _did_ you do in your past to be rewarded with this kindness of mine?" he peeked over his shoulder, lips quirked up in amusement as Jeonghan looked at him in awe for a moment and then cleared his throat.

"Perhaps I've done something so well that I was rewarded by you in general in this life."

And that's how Jeonghan was met with his navy blue cotton shirt on his face.

The CEO peeled the shirt away from his face with a blank expression, gaze flickering towards Jisoo immediately only to examine his flushed cheeks and watch as the red hue traveled all the way up to the tips of his ears. His mouth fell open slightly, watching the flustered expression on his face, as the other's eyes was averted away, avoiding his, then he was gone. The expression was gone as he turned around, shoulders slightly tensed up. "W-We're supposed to be packing!" he stammered out, trying to act as if nothing happened, "Packing, Mr. Yoon!" he scolded, fingers dipping back into the drawer, rummaging through his clothes. Jeonghan, amused, nodded simply and stood up to help him, bumping hips with him ever so often to rile the flustered teacher up.

/

"Jisoo, did you hear?" Jun's voice was muffled against the school phone once he picked it up.

"Hear what?" Jisoo drawled on, flipping through the manila folder as well as examining the other papers he was given this morning, "Wait, why are you calling me on the phone when we're in the same building?" 

"Well, Minghao's tired of me leaving and the other staff members are catching on that I'm just wandering around the halls, avoiding work. But that's not important!"

"You're literally the definition of a high school kid that asks the teacher to go to the bathroom and never returns until the last five minutes before class ends."

"Old habits don't die.. Anyway!" Jun grunted, "You remember that sub that's been here for quite a while because the teacher went on a leave, that turned into a permanent leave?"

"Jun, just say that she left without notice or without turning in her resignation form."

"Okay, yeah. Can I just continue?" the other whined, which was greeted by silence, in which he took it as his cue to continue, "They found a teacher! He's coming by tomorrow after school."

"Really? They finally found a permanent teacher?" Jisoo responded, closing the folder, "Took them a long time. Is he gonna be okay dealing with 5th graders?" 

"He's pretty experienced, from what I've heard. He's kind of a science enthusiast, and good thing those kids prefer science over reading time." Jun hummed, "So, I was thinking... We should meet him tomorrow."

"Are you gossiping again, Jun?" Minghao's voice was heard as Jisoo heard Jun scrambling to cover the phone with an "Of course not."

"Hey, Minghao." Jisoo snickered before sighing, "I can't meet him tomorrow. I'm meeting the new kids' parents."

"New kids? Oh wait, nevermind, I remember enrolling them into the class. The two twins, right?"

"Seokmin and Soonyoung, mhm. They scheduled to meet with me tomorrow so I'm staying a bit after school. I'm hoping Chan stays to entertain the kids." he muttered quietly, printing out the papers he needed to send off to the office.

Before Jun could respond, he was cut off by the other staff members. Jisoo tucked the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he slid his chair over slightly, reaching over to grab the papers that printed. As he gathered he printed papers, he stacked them neatly on his desk, listening to the way Jun frantically dismissed the other staff members, assuring them he'd have his work turned in by tonight at the office. Then, Minghao followed with his own words, reminding them that Jun is a  _great_ worker and could get it turned in an hour, earning a small gasp from the elder; one that showed his protest, but that clearly showed that Minghao was forcing him to work rather than talk. A snort left Jisoo's mouth, stapling the papers together, listening to the only amusement that filled his ears at such a late hour. 

"Anyway, since you have a lot of things to do, I'm gonna see you in like 2 minutes to drop off my papers," he paused, a wide grin appearing, "And head home."

"You're horrible," Jun mourned.

"Only sometimes."

/

The meeting with the new students' parents was going by smoothly. 

But the kids socializing was a different story. 

Not only did Chan stay behind but considering that Hansol's parents were running late, he figured he'd have to take both Seungkwan and Hansol home because it was their designated playdate day. Jisoo wasn't quite sure if he was entirely up to take the three rowdy kids home but he couldn't do much about it. The twins were shy, Jisoo could easily tell once he noticed the way Seokmin held onto Soonyoung's hand tightly and followed each other around like lost puppies. The three kids were at the play corner, while the two sat in one of the desks, silently conversing with one another, sharing the same coloring book and trading off ever so often. Chan would meet Jisoo's gaze, which encouraged one of them to at least talk to them, entertain them, make them feel safe and comfortable within his classroom. 

But he could tell they had loving parents. Parents that worried and cared for their children, but Jisoo understood wholeheartedly; having been raised as the only child and being coddled every time he woke up until he went to sleep and then it was repeated. He couldn't help but want to laugh at how indepth their questions got, branching off ever so often, but he answered them rather quickly, assuring that they would both be safe and that he promises that they'll be just fine. 

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Chan approach the two, and even when they protested in playing, he grabbed both their hands and dragged them over.

_We still need to work on that._ Jisoo mused to himself before shaking his head, returning back to the parents who followed his gaze. 

There was something about the two that reminded him of his own parents. With how they were the doting, worried kind of parents that loved their children so much, a little part of him couldn't help but miss his own parents. Jisoo didn't have much time to talk to them as much as he thought he did. Time has been moving way to fast and he couldn't even recall when was the last time he called them and vice versa. Ever since he moved into the Yoon household, his life has gotten even busier. He was at the peak of his educational career where the remainder of the months move even faster, and he was babysitting  ~~two children~~  one child. specifically named Chan. He can't help but think he took his parents granted at one point in his life. Noticing the way they were timid about their childrens' safety, he realized that once they grow up, children neglect their parents' help after that. The whole bonding between children and parents don't last forever, rather, it goes over their head. It was the last thing Jisoo wanted to happen between him and his parents. He thought he'd call them once Jeonghan leaves tomorrow. 

The classroom somehow got louder; filled with Seungkwan's loud scolding, Hansol's laughter, Chan's giggling, Seokmin's protesting, and Soonyoung's loud screams; he knew they'd be able to fit in.

"Do you have kids?" their mother spoke suddenly, catching Jisoo off guard.

"Huh?" the words processed in his head as he clasped and unclasped his hands, tongue darting forth to lick his chapped lips before letting his gaze shift over to Chan, a small smile appearing on his face, eyes forming into gentle crescents, wrinkling at the corner, "You could say that."

A few minutes had passed before they bid Jisoo and the rest farewell. The two twins waved goodbye sadly, until Chan chirped about meeting them again soon when they start attending school with them. Of course, that idea managed to brighten all their moods immediately and they were off. Jisoo ordered the three to clean up the toys and help with putting supplies away from the previous activities that occured hours before during class that Jisoo never managed to clean up, eventually putting it off last minute. He organized his messy desk, putting Soonyoung and Seokmin's notes on what he needed to know about them in his folder, making sure stray papers from their school before didn't end up getting mixed in with his meeting papers. Hearing the door open quietly, he turned around, eyebrows furrowed, "Jun?"

"Ah, wrong class and wrong person." an unfamiliar voice spoke slowly, his words slurring together easily. "Sorry to bother you."

"Wait," Jisoo paused, looking at the shorter male before snapping his fingers, "You're the new teacher, right? Lee Jihoon?"

"Correct," he responded, hands clasped together before extending one hand out to shake his, "And you..?"

Immediately, his hand shot out, grabbing his smooth hand, shaking it firmly, "Jisoo, Hong Jisoo."

"Oh.. You're Hong Jisoo. Yeah that --.. Jun, I believe, talked about you the whole time."

".. Er.. I hope it was all good things."

The corner of his lips quirked up, amusement evident in his features, "You could say that." his gaze flitted over to the other three kids that looked at him in awe, "I didn't think there were still kids here this late." he rubbed the nape of his neck sheepishly before offering a smile, "When I get settled in," he hums, "I was planning on setting up an incubator in the class and hatch chicks." he muffled a laugh at the excitement that was prominently etched on their faces, "And maybe the kids can help with that," he offered.

"Mr. Hong, Mr. Hong!" Chan clutched Jisoo's leg, hopping up and down in excitement.

"Please, please!" Hansol soon followed after, Seungkwan's eyes glinting pleadingly at them to accept his offer.

"I suppose.." Jisoo trailed off, "But calm down -- it's not gonna be set up right now so we have to be patient!" he scolded lightly, nose slightly scrunched up before looking at Jihoon, "I'll get back to you on that. You've excited them, how could I possibly take them home now?" he mourned teasingly, eyes filled with mischief. 

"Sorry, sorry," Jihoon's hands rose in surrender, chuckling, "Well, it's nice to meet a kind face but I'm sure you're itchin' to head home so I'll let you go. I'm gonna go check out the class." he whistles, pointing at the door before heading over to open it once more.

"Welcome to this school, Jihoon!" Jisoo called out, waving him off, earning a wide smile before hearing the door shut. "And I'm taking you guys home, right?"

"Yes, don't you remember?" Seungkwan countered, causing Jisoo to stick his tongue out briefly as he gathered his things.

".. You're getting old.." Hansol sang out with a loud lilt, giggles soon following, especially when Jisoo's fingers jabbed and poked at his sides immediately, a loud gasp eliciting from the elder's mouth.

"I'm not even that old! You know what, whatever! I'm not gonna justify myself." he huffed out, ruffling Hansol's hair, purposely making it messy. "Let's go, kids, before I change my mind on being generous." 

"Yes, sir!"

/

Today was the big day.

Big day as in Jeonghan leaving to go to Osaka for two weeks. 

It was a mess; Jeonghan already woke up late and had "little" time to go visit his company for a bit to finalize plans and attempt to put his faith in his workers to lead the next two weeks by themselves. He expected a daily update as well. Personally, nothing too large stunted the CEO or even drove him off the correct path, but he was a bit overdramatic in some aspect and had a tendency to give into that side of him. But Jisoo was always there to snap back at him and to look at the bigger picture, immediately silencing his whines and protests. It wasn't until after Jisoo was done making breakfast that Jeonghan was rushing down the stairs hurriedly, barking out orders towards the staff that came in today, and yelling to contact either Wonwoo or Mingyu to drive him to his company.

Eventually, he snapped at Jisoo for not waking him up, to which Jisoo protested back immediately, claiming that he never told him to wake him up early. To think, someone who had a business trip to go to was getting up several hours earlier than needed. He could recall Seungcheol coming into the house in the middle of their squabble, telling Jisoo to not worry about it because Jeonghan has a tendency of grumbling and brooding when his schedule goes  _haywire._ If this was considered haywire.

His plane didn't even leave until night time, so none of them knew why Jeonghan was getting so worked up.

On another note, he chose a night flight claiming that it'd be beneficial in case someone at the company needed him and he'd still be there. When in reality, he'd never admit it was so Jisoo and Chan could also see him off. 

The day went by fast for Jisoo. Especially at school. He didn't even realize the time and before he knew it, the final bell rang. A shrilling sound that Jisoo was never going to get used to. Chan went home first with Wonwoo and then an hour later Jisoo followed after. The teacher was greeted by Jeonghan pacing back and forth, leaving the younger to watch him for a moment before clearing his throat.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong."

"Is that so?" Jisoo countered, setting his bag down on the couch before looking around, "Where's Chan?"

"Should be out with Wonwoo still if he's not home," he paused, nodding his head, "Yeah."

Jisoo glanced at the clock on the wall. They had enough time to check his suitcase and anything else they wanted to add in. His hand reached out, stopping the pacing elder for a moment, causing the other to stumble against his grip before stabilizing himself. "Then, let's do last minute touch-ups and see if everything is in there."

"Right, right," Jeonghan breathed out, "Right. You're right."

Jisoo couldn't help but laugh softly at his behavior. He hasn't seen Jeonghan like this at all and he decided he'd keep it in the back of his mind just for his own amusement, dropping his arm back down to his side. "Alright," he responded mockingly, eyes glinting with amusement, "Let's start, Mr. Yoon."

The ride to the airport was surprisingly long. Mingyu was running late, along with Seungcheol who was unfortunately stuck in the car with him. It wasn't that Mingyu had road rage or anything. But, he definitely did have road rage that none of them every spoke about or bothered to bring it up because he would just smile idly and feign innocence, or perhaps he wasn't feigning innocence at all. It's just a topic none of them bothered with, was the conclusion. By the time Mingyu and Seungcheol got to their place, the two were hurried out, without Chan. Wonwoo was trusted of course, so it was the least of their worries. Jeonghan complained about his suitcase becoming suddenly heavier than before, but Jisoo shrugged it off entirely, packing the car up with his belongings and beckoning him into the car faster before the plane leaves its designated departure time.

The way there was the worst. The traffic made it long and the car ride was silent, aside from the buzzing music played on the radio. Mingyu's curses followed suit, eventually overpowering the music and the three just sat there, ignoring the words that flew out of his mouth. At one point, Mingyu dealt the dangerous driver card and cut off any cars he could to follow his route to get to the airport faster. It was not only a long drive, but a bumpy, terrifying one that caused Jisoo to silently pray for their safety while clutching onto the handle for dear life. 

Seungcheol, Jisoo, and Jeonghan were dropped off at the entrance while Mingyu shooed them off, telling Jisoo to come back once they board the plane. He wasn't sure when the responsibility fell onto his shoulders, but it was there, much to his dismay. Snapping the two out of their thoughts, he ushered them inside, calling out if they had their passport in case and the tickets were an absolute necessity. "Hustle, hustle!" Jisoo scolded each time the two fell short of his steps. Searching for the plane that lead to Osaka, he sighed in relief when it came into view. "Alright," he breathed out, turning to face the two, startling them entirely before Jeonghan cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck, "This is where you guys leave." Jisoo quirked one eyebrow, handing Seungcheol one of the bag's in his grasps that belonged to Jeonghan.

"I've got this. I'll check us in and get to our seats, Mr. Yoon." Seungcheol saluted teasingly, grabbing the ticket from the other's hand before walking off, leaving the two alone.

"It's unfortunate that Chan isn't here. I wonder what they're doing." Jisoo voiced out as soon as Seungcheol left, gaining a nod from the CEO.

"I'm not so sure either," he paused and shrugged loosely, "I'll call you guys later then. I'll see him, won't I?"

"Of course."

A hand was felt on his shoulder, the warmth emitting from his palm and onto Jisoo's shoulder before feeling it sliding down, hovering just above his bicep. Jisoo's gaze flickered upwards, meeting his immediately, "Let's have a chat when I'm back home." the teacher noticed a faint glint in his eyes, and feeling compelled, he agreed instantaneously, his cheeks flushing slightly.  _It's getting hotter and hotter and I hope he doesn't realize, or point it out in general. It's probably just the remnants of the fever. .. Yeah, let's just go with the fever._ "I'll text you when I land though, okay? Take care of Chan.. and yourself while I'm gone." with that, he turned away. 

/

It was 3 AM.

The incessant ringing of his phone was heard on his night table.

A groan followed after, filling the quiet room.

Clumsily grabbing his phone, the cold air was wrapped around his phone, freezing his fingers immediately as a shiver went through his body. The bright screen caused him to cringe away, eyes screwing shut immediately. Another groan flitted from his parted lips before he squinted, reading the contact name. _Yoon Jeonghan._ He silently seethed upon reading the name, squinting at the white numbers that told the time. "Seriously.. He really is a piece of work," he grumbled before tapping on the green button, bringing it to his ear immediately, "Hello?" he responded gruffly, letting his head drop back down to the pillow.

"Jisoo? Turn on your facetime."

"Huh?" he rubbed his eyes, "But why? Jeonghan -- you're in Osaka, the timezones aren't different at all. You know what time it is! You're crazy!" he muttered, shifting onto his back.

"That doesn't matter. Anyway, if you're not doing it, then answer my facetime." The call went silent for a moment before it began to vibrate in his hand again from the accidental hang up. Or maybe Jeonghan neglected the face time button within the options of the call. Not that he was complaining. The small gap of silence was enough for him to fall back asleep but be rudely awakened. Answering the call, his video was entirely black but it was significantly bright where Jeonghn was at. The CEO's face was shown, looking unamused, or rather irritated. "So, guess what I found in my luggage?"

"What'd you find?" Jisoo tiredly replied, lazily watching his phone drift around before focusing on his luggage and there it was. A gasp flitted from his mouth as he sat up immediately, leaning over to turn the lamp on, "Chan?!"

"Hi, Mr. Hong!" Chan's voice was heard loudly from his phone, waving along before it panned back to Jeonghan, obviously irked.

"Chan -- how did you even get there?"

"Well--" he was cut off by Jeonghan immediately; one hand was raised to silence him and he acknowledged the signal.

"Wonwoo booked your ticket. You're flying down here in a few hours."

"Wait what?" Jisoo blinked rapidly, "In a few hours!? Jeonghan!"

"That's all." and his phone screen went black.

_He's really.. He's.. a tyrant!_


	10. X

It wasn't because Jisoo was somewhat infatuated with Jeonghan that he actually went to the airport before the designated time it was going to leave, no, it was mostly because Wonwoo stormed into his room not even 30 minutes later with Mingyu in tow, yelling about how he'll have breakfast prepared in 20 minutes tops while Wonwoo and Jisoo pack. It was difficult to get the teacher out of bed in general. He texted Minghao to sub in for him, only to be surprised to get a text back moments later. Jisoo didn't have time to scold him about being awake when he had to go to work in just a few hours. But, there wasn't any reason for Jisoo to scold an adult like himself. Perhaps he was some sort of unconscious helicopter parent. Jisoo and Wonwoo made  ~~quick~~  slow work on packing clothes for his last minute trip. Most of it consist of Jisoo whining and trying to go back to bed, which eventually turned into Wonwoo packing his clothes and basic necessities if Jisoo gave his okay to him while he lazed around in bed, nestled underneath the soft duvet, drifting in and out of sleep.

Getting away from Mingyu was harder when the younger was eyeing him like a hawk, a spatula in his hand, ready to be smacked down whenever he dozed off. He ate his food, offering the other a sheepish smile or two, only to be returned with a satisfied smile. As soon as he finished, cleaned up and everything, he was rushed outside of the house with an hour to spare. Traffic wasn't bad, and Mingyu praised that the Gods were on their side today as he drove swiftly through the freeway with the soft hum of the radio playing in the background. Jisoo's gaze remained on the scenery displayed in front of him from the window, his gaze shifting ever so often towards the other people in the cars that passed them. Anything to distract his mind. He was mostly silently cursing Jeonghan for purchasing a ticket before the call and expecting him to come to Osaka last minute. To which he did, but that wasn't the point. He was wondering why the house was so quiet. They should've asked Wonwoo about Chan the moment he came home. Jisoo sighed, letting the faintest pout play on his pink lips.  _I'm gonna scold Chan when I see him, I swear._

Jisoo wasn't even sure why Wonwoo and Mingyu were frantic once they got to the airport. Nudging Jisoo to go faster and to go through the airport procedures faster, which he couldn't, considering the other people trying to get through the procedures like him. He didn't bother questioning them aloud, but he did voice it mentally. Something along the lines of ' _you both aren't even coming to Osaka with me, why are you rushing?'_  But he was quiet, only smiling stiffly or waving them off. Once the procedures were done and he was boarded onto the plane, he let out that sigh of relief he didn't realize he was holding. Sitting down in his seat, he relaxed against it immediately, slouching down.  _I have an hour and fifteen minutes before this lands. I can rest._

With that, he shut his eyes as the plane began to take off no more than a few minutes later. 

Osaka was a bit too chilly for Jisoo's liking. 

Maybe it was because he wasn't wearing the proper attire, but he decided to neglect that entirely. He stood outside of the airport, rubbing his hands together to create what little warmth he was able to muster. "Where's Seungcheol?" he asked under his breath, stuffing his hands into his pocket, clenching his fingers into a loose fist. Leaning forward, he made sure not to get in any people's way and to take note of every car that was approaching. A persistent honk was heard, startling his thoughts as he looked forward, sighing in relief. "Seungcheol," he breathed out, walking towards the car, his luggage in tow.

A grin was fixated on Seungcheol's lips, almost sheepish as he quickly walked out of the car, opening the passenger's door for Jisoo and grabbing his luggage after, placing it in the trunk, "Sorry about that, Jisoo," he paused, "It was kind of a big surprise for both of us, so.." he trailed off.

Sighing, Jisoo shook his head, "It's all good, Cheol." with that, he got in the passenger's seat, closing the door behind him.

Seungcheol got into the driver's seat moments later, buckling in his seatbelt, "The drive isn't that long but I'll be sure to get there as fast as I can!"

"Take your time -- let's not get into any accidents."

"Accidents? Me? I would never!" and they both jolted forward once the car behind him let him through.

/

"Chan."

It had been hours since Jisoo finally got to the hotel, and he couldn't even remember what happened. He was in the hotel room, sleepily waving at Chan and Jeonghan before crashing onto the bed, that he was sure was Jeonghan's, but he was too tired to care. None of them bothered to wake him up either. By the time he had come to, Jeonghan was gone and it was mid afternoon. His hair stuck to his face, the static from the pillows making the ends of his hair go astray. He ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing it down before he got out of bed and clumsily made his way out to the bathroom to clean up once more. Once he was finished, he exited, feeling much more awake before he spotted Chan on the ground, reading his book. 

"Yes, Mr. Hong?" The child looked up at his teacher, eyes sparkling and grin wide, despite the scolding demeanor Jisoo had. Though, he could feel it slowly falling apart as the younger edged closer, small hands grasping onto the hem of his shirt, tugging it gently before wrapping his arms around his leg. "I missed you!" he chirped, words muffled against his denim jeans, feeling his hot breath seep through.

Jisoo let out a long breath before crouching down to his height, offering him a smile of his own. "I missed you too, Chan." his nimble fingers shifted upwards, running through the soft tresses of his hair, letting it tangle within his fingers, "But you can't pull another stunt like this again." he scolded, head tilted downwards, his chocolate brown hues gazing at him warningly, watching him shrink beneath his gaze. 

"I knew you were mad." Chan stifled a whine, a pout playing on his pink lips as he furrowed his eyebrows, clearly disheartened by the other's words. "I'm sorry.." 

"Chan -- if you thought we weren't gonna get mad about this, then I'm quite surprised." Jisoo murmured, letting his hand move down to squeeze his shoulder, "We want you to be safe and you know it'd be difficult on your dad if you went to his business trips. I appreciate your apology and I hope you apologized to him too. But, we can't let you off this easily. We'll decide on something when we get back to Seoul, okay?"

".. Okay." he mumbled, taking a few steps forward, wrapping his arms around Jisoo's neck. "I really am sorry.. I'll apologize to papa." his words were muffled against his neck, clutching at his shirt from behind.

"I know you are," Jisoo wrapped his arms around Chan, picking him up, "Your dad called before I came here and made plans." he glanced at the clock, clicking his tongue. "His meeting should be done sometime soon so we're gonna have lunch with him. Are you okay with that?" Chan pulled away slightly and nodded enthusiastically, another smile gracing the teacher's features as he chuckled lightly, "Okay, Cheol was updated when your dad called so let's go see if he's waiting outside. So, if you have nothing to bring, then we can get going."

"I have nothing! Nothing at all!" he wheezed out excitedly, eyes bright once more, his own small hands squishing Jisoo's cheeks gently, giggling after, "I wanna see papa! Let's go!"

"Impatient," he mused, "That's the whole plan anyway, right?" grabbing the extra keycard off the nightstand, he gave Chan a small squeeze, smiling teasingly after, "We'll see your dad and have a fun time." he concluded with a nod of his head, opening the door and exiting swiftly, letting it shut behind him. 

By the time they went to pick up Jeonghan, he was already waiting outside of the building, arms crossed over his chest, and his gaze poised; unwavering. As soon as he got in the car, Chan was already screaming at Jeonghan, his voice echoing within the enclosed space of the car. Jeonghan quickly hushed him, one eyebrow quirked up before nodding at Jisoo. As Seungcheol drove around, they all were discussing on what to eat, minus Cheol who had to run errands for mysterious reasons that none of them could pry out of him. Jisoo and Jeonghan were indecisive, up until Chan perked up and said he wanted fries. The two grew silent before passively agreeing and that's how they ended up at  _Critter's Burgers._

"So, I take it your flight went well?" Jeonghan asked out of the blue after they were seated and managed to order, even with Chan being conflicted about the menu since he couldn't read Japanese. With help from Jeonghan, it was easy for them all, and Jisoo didn't have to do too much.

"Ah, yes, it went well." he responded, startled, "I wasn't really expecting a flight so soon.. or a flight at all, actually --"

"I apologize," the CEO responded immediately, "I figured Seungcheol would be out and about, or with me so I didn't have anyone I trust looking after Chan."

"I was lucky enough that Minghao accepted my substitute request so I didn't have to file it into the whole district." Jisoo shifted his gaze towards Jeonghan, only to see him already looking at him, inhaling sharply, "W-Which would have been a difficult process. I hate getting subs in general." he blinked a few times, letting it lower towards Chan instead who was stirring his chocolate smoothie with his straw. 

"I-I see..?" Jeonghan responded, alarmed by the stammer that laced the other's voice, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind next time. I'll personally come by and apologize to.. er.. Minghao myself."

"No, no, it's okay. He understands."

"I insist." he rose one eyebrow, "It's final." 

Before Jisoo could respond, Chan tipped over his small cup of water, a squeak escaping his mouth. Jeonghan grabbed it quickly while Jisoo wiped it down with the napkin, both of them sighing in relief that it didn't splatter anywhere else. Their food came out soon after, Jisoo smiling at the waitress whiile Chan bounced in his seat, clapping his hands along as he immediately went for his fries, ignoring his burger. By the time the smell wafted into Jisoo's senses, his stomach growled in soft protest. He didn't even realize how hungry he was until it was in front of him. 

"Papa, I wanna feed you!" he voiced out, fry in his grip.

"It's okay, Chan."

"Please?" he pouted, leaning in endearingly, causing Jeonghan to cringe away. 

".. Fine." Jeonghan sighed in defeat, pursing his lips momentarily.

"Yay!" Chan cheered, crawling onto his lap and bringing the fry towards his mouth, which he ate. 

Jisoo managed to capture that on his phone, laughing softly and cooing teasingly towards the CEO, turning his phone towards them to admire the cute and perfect photo he managed to get of them. Jeonghan just grumbled but didn't protest as Chan continued to feed him. Jeonghan finally grabbed the fry out of his hand as he tried to feed him for the nth time and fed Chan in return, letting him quiet down, "That reminds me, we have a party to go to tonight."

The teacher choked on his water, coughing a few times before looking at him, surprised, "Wait, party? No one told me about this."

"I didn't know myself until after the meeting."

"The meeting with.. the guy that was in that folder, right?" Jisoo questioned, tilting his head to the sight, his gaze on Chan who fed Jeonghan another fry before shifting it towards his own food, half-eaten and there, "I still don't think you should go along with their business. Your sales production would deplete much faster than it already is. I mean -- your company is doing well and the production going down is much slower but it could speed up eventually."

"So, I shouldn't go with it?" an amused expression appeared on Jeonghan's features, eyes lighting up as it bore into the teacher who squirmed in his seat, undearneath his gaze.

"No, unless you want your company to crash. They'd be more of a liability than an asset. It took me a while to figure it out, but there's a lot of holes in their company that would drag yours down in seconds. Besides, if you guys wanna cover up your own weaknesses, there are several other companies in Osaka that could help -- and the party could help a lot with that. I reccomend talking to other entrepreneurs and sealing deals before rejecting his. You guys have higher demand than you do supplies and your production rate is pretty average. If you could find another company that could make one of your products two times faster, then there is a high possibility that your company will see improvement overtime, or something like that. You guys don't have a lot of weaknesses, but don't neglect the other ones you know about or you'll be back at square one."

"Huh." the CEO leaned back in the booth, a thoughful look etched onto his face, "Makes sense. I'll be sure to do that when we go. By any chance, are you minoring in Economics?" he mused, "Not a lot of people would notice those gaps so easily."

"I'm not minoring in Economics, but I did take the course because it was required for my pre-requisite... for some reason." Jisoo shrugged loosely, "It was interesting but I wasn't able to grasp onto the material easily so I didn't think about pursuing it. Weird that I'm able to figure out those things when I barely had a passing grade." he chuckled after, smiling sheepishly. "Anyway, you said we're  _all_ going? Are kids allowed there?"

"Yes, they are. I'm certain their kids will be there too and he could make friends to busy himself. We'll be okay." 

"Hm, fine, but when we get back to the hotel, you know we're gonna have to set up some ground rules for him."

"Of course."

/

"I can't believe you."

"No, I can't believe  _you._ "

Jisoo sighed reluctantly, his fingers rubbing at his forehead before letting his hand drop back down to his side. A puff of air escaped his lips as they parted subconsciously, his gaze flickering about the vast amount of people that began to litter the home, along with the kids that ran past both him and Jeonghan. The teacher already doubled his effort with hiding from the cameras and staying beside Jeonghan as they greeted other chivalrous entrepreneurs who greeted Jeonghan back vibrantly, and hoped to corner him with their own business profits, and of the likes. The party dragged on, Jisoo having been known by other businesses and having his own share in conversations, laughing along even though he wasn't quite sure what was funny. Chan followed either Jeonghan or Jisoo if they separated, but majority of the time, they were together. And before they noticed, Chan had disappeared. 

The stress and fear Jisoo was feeling was weighing down in his chest as he looked around frantically, his gaze settling on Jeonghan as he tried to keep his composure but panic was evident in his eyes as he smiled queasily, index finger tapping lightly against his wine glass, "Before this erupts," the elder began, gaze shifing towards the younger, "Do you remember where he was with us last?"

"I.." Jisoo trailed off, eyebrows furrowed, "I dropped him off with you before I went to the restroom and came back and he was still with you, so.." he paused, tapping at his chin lightly. 

"He couldn't have gotten that far." Jeonghan voiced out, arms crossing and uncrossing -- a habit that Jisoo noticed along the way whenever he was nervous, something he grew fond of -- before setting the wine glass down as he hooked his arms with Jisoo, tugging him closer, "Let's retrace our steps then, shall we?" he sends a small smile towards Jisoo, "Can't let them or media notice our change in body behavior so let's ask around subtley and if they bring up Chan, we'll follow that, alright?" his voice dropped a lower octave, having been a whisper as his lips graze the shell of Jisoo's ear, "Deal?"

The teacher felt his cheeks flare, which wasn't the appropriate time, but he nodded anyway, not trusting his voice as he tugs Jeonghan forward, taking the lead. 

It took a while before someone had brought up Chan, claiming they had watched him run past them moments before in a hurry. Both of them were confused at that but didn't dare question anything as they nodded and Jeonghan led them elsewhere until they were in another section of the large home. The suit that Jeonghan had lended him began to chafe at his skin as his anxiety began to pique up, his hand that rested atop Jeonghan's grew clammy, clutching at his hand with a frown. The CEO turned his hand over, twining their fingers briefly as he squeezed his hand and withdrew quickly as he greeted more people he hadn't talked to.

While Jeonghan conversed, Jisoo took the opportunity to let himself scan the area in hopes to see a child in his own white buton up and black slacks with a slanted bow tie, accompanied by his bright green dinosaur backpack that sagged. But only disappointment was evident as he tugged Jeonghan's sleeve, signaling that there was no sign of him. Jeonghan took the sign and immediately excused them, Jisoo letting out a stiff goodbye with a faint smile before they rushed off into another room, one that was much more crowded. 

The room was packed with elegantly dressed people, articles of clothing or jewelry flashing against the minimal light that illuminated the room. Laughter chorused, obviously tipsy from the expensive wine they downed consecutively. But, he wasn't sure if luck was on their side or Jisoo and Jeonghan's desperation to find Chan and leave was evident, but a child barreled right into Jisoo's legs, clinging onto them for dear life, "Chan," Jisoo had breathed out, instantly dropping down to hold onto him, fingers unconsciously digging into the dinosaur backpack, the faux plush of it feeling familiar as he pressed closer, hearing the whine Chan emitted, holding onto him for dear life. Another warm embrace wrapped around them; Jeonghan. They stayed like that for a moment longer before Chan pulled away, a mess as tears continued to fall from his eyes, staining his cheeks. Jeonghan furrowed his eyebrows as he thumbed at them gently, wiping them away while Jisoo ruffled his hair. 

"I-I couldn't.. Couldn't find you g..guys! And.. and I lost my friend!" he protested weakly, stumbling over his words as he hiccuped.

"We're here now. We won't leave you, okay?" Jisoo chorused, hands dropping down and wrapping around Chan once more as Jeonghan and him looked at each other, nodding as the child was picked up into his embrace, feeling him relax against it immediately. Jeonghan announced their departure, but without realizing, the sound of cameras were clicking furiously, pointed towards the family as they made their escape.

/

Jisoo and Chan occupied one of the beds while Jeonghan took the other. The teacher slipped in and out of sleep before being woken up by the dimly lit lamp that remained on, even before they came back to the hotel. He sat up more, rubbing his eyes as his blurred vision was fixated on the man on the other bed, a book laid out on his lap. His eyebrows furrowed, creasing slightly as he purses his lips. His gaze settled on him, admiring the physiognomy that he would often selfishly look at whenever. His almond shape eyes to his pointed nose, and soft pink lips that held a rare, but beautiful smile. The roots were evident in his hair, having soon need to dye it once he had free time. But still, it made him lovely.

"How long are you going to stare for?"

Jisoo flinched at him before shifting his gaze away, "I wasn't staring."

"Sorry, correction. Ogling."

"I was not ogling!"

"If you don't wanna wake Chan up, I'd suggest lowering your voice, Mr. Hong."

Defeated, he sat back before muttering, "What are you doing awake?"

"You know how it is, Jisoo." Jeonghan paused, closing his book and setting it on the night stand table, "I can't sleep again."

"Do you -- want me to help?"

"Would it be odd if I said yes?"

"No, of course not." Jisoo said quickly before replacing himself with a pillow, watching as Chan shifted about with a pout. The teacher hesitated before slipping underneath the sheets of Jeonghan's bed, feeling the warm embrace he had missed from hours before. His own arms wrapped around the elder, relaxing into his embrace before sighing. It was quiet between them for a moment. 

"Do you prefer something high-class or simple?"

"Huh?" Jisoo questioned before furrowing his eyebrows, "Simple, I suppose."

"Interesting."

"And you?"

"Oh, I'm not picky. I don't mind any of them, but simple is nice." Jeonghan murmured, shifting closer to Jisoo, holding him closer, "Simple is nice, isn't it?"

"It is."

Conversation after conversations fell from their lips, filled with soft chuckles and tired giggles. A few times they were alarmed if they woke up Chan, but he was in deep sleep. Before Jisoo knew it, his eyelids grew heavy as they slowly shut, but he didn't want to sleep just yet. He wanted to stay up a little longer, talk to Jeonghan longer, but his body betrayed him as sleep took over him as Jeonghan reached over, turning the lamp off, whispering a soft 'goodnight'. 


	11. XI

Jisoo knew that he was only going to be on this trip for just a little bit before he brings Chan back home to Korea. To go back to his job. To go back to his life -- without Jeonghan there for a few more days. He knew all that, but why did he feel so lonely about it? That thought had crossed his mind various times through this small "vacation" of his, but being able to spend time without stressing over work or stressing over life in general, it made Jisoo feel much better. Granted that he was able to tease and poke fun of Jeonghan idly every time he ran around the hotel room to search for his things while Seungcheol barked at him to hurry up but also scolding him for other reasons that Jisoo lost track of. But those moments where it was just him, Jeonghan, and Chan, it was moments that he lived for. Whether it's just sitting and bathing in the silence of being with one another while listening to the soft vibrate of Chan's humming as he played with his toys; Jisoo felt at ease. He felt at home. And those times where Jisoo was able to witness Jeonghan get to work late at night while Chan was fast asleep were those times he was able to admire him. He would never admit it, but he'd always admire Jeonghan. The little things about him that grew too fond of. From the curvature of his face, his eyes trailing along his nose, and permanent pouty lips, he was at an awe. From his porcelain skin and the way his cheeks would grow wider, more prominent, once he smiled and his eyes soon followed, smiling through his slits as he let himself grow vulnerable, bearing in mind that others would see his expression. 

It was those moments that Jisoo also let himself grow vulnerable and wear his heart on his sleeve, ready for his thudding heart to be taken. 

But of course, he wouldn't be able to say something like that. That'd be too sappy . He would shut down his dwindling feelings ever so often as he remember who he was, who Jeonghan was, and what he was doing here. This wasn't some type of drama or story that had a good ending. Jisoo couldn't possibly be living a whole romantic life. It could never happen. Not for him, not for this hopeless romantic of a teacher.

Even so, he couldn't help but imagine it could at least happen.

Just a small flickering hope that the cold CEO would have feelings that were more than acquaintances towards him. 

It was Jisoo and Chan's last day here before they go back home early tomorrow. To say that Jisoo was just a bit upset was an understatement, but it's not like he could always put his life on hold like this. Before, he couldn't afford to put his life on hold, but now, he guesses there were  _some_ exceptions. It was the same thing the past few days; Jisoo would wake up before Jeonghan, sharing the same bed after talking for countless of hours and crashing soon after. His arms wrapped securely around Jisoo's smaller frame while Jisoo's arm was lazily slung across the other's midframe as the sheets were tangled amongst their limbs. Jeonghan's newly dyed blonde hair was a mess; covering his face and yet it shone vibrantly under the glistening ray. It was how Jisoo would always wake up but also fake his slumber just a bit longer whenever Jeonghan began stirring awake. He never knew what happened -- what Jeonghan would look like in the silence that lasted well over five minutes before a hushed 'good morning' fell from his lips, sleep lacing his tone. And it was like on cue, Jisoo mustered up his acting skills to fake his awakening and mumble a soft greeting back before readjusting, facing away from the other, only to feel Jeonghan's grip tighten once more.

"We have plans today," Jeonghan started groggily, "It's my day off.." he trailed off, fingers dipping into the soft crevices of Jisoo's body, "I was thinking we could take an off day and go out with Chan on a picnic." he spoke slowly as Jisoo was able to pick up the soft, breathy pauses the other had, his mind mainly focusing on the way his fingers danced along his frame absentmindedly.

"Yeah," Jisoo breathed out, not realizing that he held his breath for so long as pants that he disguised as a yawn fell from his mouth, "We can do that." he nodded at the proposal, suddenly becoming oddly aware to how close their bodies were and how much warmth Jeonghan managed to radiate off of him, "I'm thinking we're gonna just pick up food on the way since we don't have supplies here to make anything."

"You're right.."

"Just say we're eating out, but at a park."

"Okay," Jeonghan paused, "We're going to eat out, but at a park."

Jisoo stifled a laugh as he turned around to meet his gaze, the corner of his lips quirking upwards, "Got it." he saluted mockingly before beginning to sit up, feeling the arms that kept him captive before fall at his sides instead. "Should we get ready then?"

The teacher barely caught that disgruntled look settling on his face as he glanced around, "I guess."

Jisoo's fingers threaded through Jeonghan's hair, amused, before ruffling the silky thread, "Then get up, sleepyhead."

/

After managing to get Chan dressed and ready for their outing, they decided for simple already made bento boxes. It was less stressful than going to go at a restaurant that Chan knew nothing of. Quick and easy bento boxes that not only had a lot to it, but saved money. Other than that, they restocked on snacks and drinks (mostly for Chan) and left the convenience store. It was mildly warm out but still cold enough to wear a light sweater. No matter how many times Jisoo glanced at Jeonghan, he still wanted to laugh. His attire was casual, but he did try his hardest to make it seem like he wasn't  _the_ Yoon Jeonghan. Even when Jisoo grabbed at his hoodie, tightened the string, and threw on some sunglasses for him, he was still oddly out of place. Despite his hidden features, there was something about him that was alluring. Enticing. Something that made gazes drift off over to him in a heartbeat. Blonde strands peeked out from his hood as shaping his face in a silly manner but Jisoo felt too unbothered by it to fix it. Instead, he got lost in memorizing him. Again. 

"Jisoo?"

A blink. Another blink. A third blink, "... Huh?" 

"Do I look.. unnatural? Is that why you're staring?"

Jisoo's lips pursed before shaking his head, shrugging nonchalantly, "I wasn't staring. I was staring at something else."

"Oh." Jeonghan rose one eyebrow, "My apologies for assuming." It grew silent for a moment before he spoke up once more, "Can we talk?"

"We're already talking, Jeonghan?" Jisoo countered with a laugh, his gaze landing on Chan as he abandoned his food and went for the play structure to play. Jisoo could hear the annoyed sigh escape his parted mouth and could imagine a small eyeroll, but he was too please with his response to even care.

"I am going to ignore that." he said, shooting him a glance before looking ahead once more, "How about we go out for dinner tonight?"

"Uh, we can?" Jisoo responded, unsure, "We just have to take in consideration of what Chan likes and go off from there. Better yet, why don't I go look for places that could be kid frie-"

"No, I mean," the CEO spoke, exasperated, "You. Me. Dinner. Date. Tonight."

Jisoo nearly choked on his food as he covered his mouth, coughing harshly at the food lodged at his throat. "D-Date? You and... me?"

Jeonghan didn't say anything, rather, he continued, "There's something weird about you, about us--" he was interrupted by an offended noise coming from Jisoo to which he quickly shot down with a glare, "So I wanted to try something. I wanted to go on a date. If you don't want to, you can ignore that this all happened and we can carry on with our li-"

"I'd love to go on a date with you." Jisoo could feel his heartbeat quicken as the words tumbled out from his mouth without a care, a sprinkle of pink shrouding his cheeks, making its way up to the tips of his ears. "But what about Chan?"

"Simple. Seungcheol can take care of him."

"If Seungcheol is okay with that."

"He must be." nudging Jisoo's shoulder gently, he offered the briefest but most genuine smile that Jisoo had never noticed, "Let's not dwell on it."

"Okay," Jisoo returned the smile quickly, "it's a date then."

"A date," Jeonghan echoed, leaning back, "Yes, a date."

/

Instructions from Jeonghan to Seungcheol before he was going to take Chan home was to drop Jisoo off at the location. When they got home after the "picnic", Jeonghan only stayed for an hour before departing, saying he'll see Jisoo tonight. That left Jisoo to become a trembling, flustered mess as he wracked his brain to figure out his outfit for tonight. He didn't even know what he was supposed to wear and it's not like he picked out date worthy outfits. He didn't know this was going to happen! The tux was too fancy and he had more casual clothing than semi-formal ones. It was then that he had to shuffle through his suitcase to search for a top that looked presentable but didn't scream out too much. With hours of him trying to choose and Chan helping, he settled for his black jeans (can't be too formal) and a white button-up. 

"Good luck!" Seungcheol called.

"Good luck, good luck!" Chan chirped after before turning towards Seungcheol, "Can we get ice cream? Please? Please?" he begged, bottom lip jutted out and they all knew Seungcheol was unable to resist it.

"No, good luck to  _you_." Jisoo mused, ruffling Chan's hair before shutting the door, watching as Seungcheol rolled down the window with a roll of his eyes.

"Gee, thanks. Anyway, Jeonghan should already be there so you should go." he lifted his hand to wave dissmissively before watching the car drive off. 

Anxiety tugged at Jisoo's stomach, making it weigh down but he straightened his posture and walked towards the double doors. For the most part it, it was casual but held a tint of fancy to it. Maybe Jisoo picked the right clothing and he couldn't be more glad. Walking in, his vision adjusted to the dimly lit room before turning around as he heard a soft voice call his last name. A waitress. "That's me," he cleared his throat, smiling thinly.

"Ah, Mr. Hong, this way." she smiled gently at him before walking forth, Jisoo just a bit of ways from her steps.

By the time they go to the table, there was just a few people in the designated room. Jisoo glanced around, giving the twinkling lights a quick one-two before meeting Jeonghan's gaze. Breathtaking was an understatement. His attire was casual as well but there really was something about Jeonghan he couldn't put his finger on. It was like he could wear anything and look absolutely lavish. Jisoo sat down in his chair, earning a charming smile from the other as the woman disappeared.

"You look wonderful."

Surprised from the comment, he looked down quickly, his hands quickly making work to clasp and unclasp, "T-Thanks," he managed to stammer out, "Y-You look.. good too." he really could have made it without the stammer. 

Instead of teasing him, Jeonghan grinned, "Thank you." he replied before murmuring, "Jisoo, look at me," Hesitanly, he lifted his gaze before meeting Jeonghan's comforting ones, "Let's just treat this like how we normally are.. with just a bit more."

"Just a bit more?" Jisoo voiced out softly, head tilt.

Jeonghan reached over and grabbed his trembling hand and gave it a small squeeze before lacing them together briefly, "Just a bit more." he repeated, before raising his hand, leaving a lingering kiss at the soft expanse of skin. Withdraiwng his lips, his thumb moved in comforting circles, "If that's okay, of course."

"I-It is!" Jisoo responded quickly, squeezing his hand as he nodded, "It's... perfect."

"Good." Jeonghan grinned, "Then, let's get this date started."

"Absolutely."

It was going better than Jisoo had expected, minus the awkward silence or movements that happened between them, but it would always be covered with a laugh. He wasn't sure why he felt so tense about this, maybe because he couldn't believe that this was actually happening. He felt like a lovesick teenager whose dreams have finally come true as he managed to score a date with his  _crush._ Crush? Potential love interest would most likely be the adult term for that. Jisoo was around kids for too long that his vocabularly has been simplified to match it. Even so, he felt the stubborn butterfly in his stomach at every little thing he does. Jisoo would curse at himself later for acting like this.

Still, it was going smoothly, for the most part. It was filled with idle chatter and innocent, small touches. There was plently of times where Jisoo was in disbelief and he felt overly self-conscious about himself that he kept quiet majority of the time. In the silence, Jisoo was busy contemplating what to say as Jeonghan's gaze was elsewhere.  _What do I say? What do I bring up? What can I say? It's like we know a lot about each other already? God! Why am I so awkward?_ Before Jisoo's inner turmoil could continue, he snapped out of his thoughts.  _SPLASH!_ Jeonghan's drink had fallen on him and before the CEO could react, Jisoo made quick work to clean up the mess  _and_ him. His usual safety precautions fell from his lips as he cleaned him up quickly, checking the for the damage.

"Safe to say, we're lucky it's water." Jisoo voiced out as he fixed his composure, "You're so clumsy."

"Maybe." Jeonghan laughed quietly, patting at the now wet stain on his clothes, "You did good, teacher Hong." he teased.

"Just happy to look after one of my kids, Mr. Yoon." he bantered, amsuement residing in his eyes as he smiled.

"That's the smile I was looking for." His breath got caught in his throat before Jeonghan continued, "I was waiting for you to grow comfortable to we can talk more.. relaxed but I didn't think that would happen so I improvised."

"You mean.."

"You don't think I'm  _that_ clumsy, Mr. Hong?" a sly look was etched onto Jeonghan's face.

"You're unbelievable, Mr. Yoon." Jisoo breathed out as he slumped back in his chair, laughing in disbelief, "You're too much."

"But it worked, right?" Jeonghan asked, tilting his head.

"I guess it did."

"Good." the older said, obviously pleased, "Also, turn around and you'll see a surprise."

Jisoo quirked one eyebrow up before turning around, watching two older men and a child duck their head quickly away from their view. It took Jisoo a second to register before muttering, "Seungcheol... Mingyu... Chan..?"

"Yeah, that's them." Jeonghan responded softly.

"Have they been here the whole time?"

"Safe to say so."

"They're unbelievable too!" Jisoo responded and yet, he smiled widely, clearing amsued.

"We're all pretty unbelievable in our own way."

"I'm gonna have to believe you on that."

"I'm always right, aren't I?" Jeonghan said confidently, nodding his head.

"For the most part," Jisoo began, enjoying the offended look on his face, "For the most part." he repeated, adamant about his answer.

/

The date ended perfectly and Jisoo felt absolutely content. They were back at their hotel room, cleaning up and getting ready for bed. Just before Jisoo could go elsewhere, arms snaked around his midframe and a yelp escaped his mouth as he fell back on the bed with a soft  _thud._ "Jeonghan-" Jisoo began but was hushed as Jeonghan's face found the crook of his neck, nuzzling at the warmth as his grip became secure, laying still like a log, "Jeonghan?" he tried once more, "Don't tell me you already fell asleep!"

"Maybe." he muttered drowsily, JIsoo shivering at his warm breath.

"You're already going to bed? I'm surprised, it's oddly early for you to be asleep at this time."

"I have to wake up early tomorrow to send you and Chan off so we  _both_ -" Jeonghan had stopped talking to readjust the both of him as he brought Jisoo closer, letting him senses be filled with him, "need to be asleep." 

"Can I at least turn off the lamp?" Jisoo snorted.

"Nope, no time. Goodnight!"

Jisoo let out a quiet laugh but ignored his wishes, resulting in a small groan as he moved around before reaching over to turn off the lights. It was silent between the both of them, taking the time to enjoy one another's company before the creak of the bed was heard, eyes shooting up. A small figure wiggled in between their arms, followed by a giggle. Jisoo's arms were now full and wrapped around Chan. He nestled in his arms, face buried in his chest. With that, he stilled. Instead of Jeonghan backing off, he shifted closer, wrapping his arms around them both, whispering a 'goodnight' that Jisoo returned.

"Goodnight." Chan offered sleepily, yawning after.

It really was moments like these that Jisoo really was okay with wearing his heart on his sleeve. 

* * *

ps. i barely do a/n's on my fics because they're usually transferred from asianfanfics so OOPS! here's my note uwu 

**BARELY PROOFREAD! WILL LOOK BACK INTO IT WHEN I'M AWAKE!**

A/N: PERHAPS I'M BACK!! my second term has started and i have not updated this since july... i'm sorry! i really wanted to but my will to write absolutely died off because of school from the previous term and the term i just had. but i survived my first week of my second term so yaay! it's currently 2 am and i finished writing these 2.9k words in one sitting so yay! i was hoping i would finish earlier to update the rest but that definitely did not happen. when i wake up today, i have homework to do but i'm hoping i can update the rest!

the past few months have been absolutely hectic and so much has happened but i never wanted to abandon my stories so here i am! i hope 2019 has been treating everyone well! 

my eyes are SHUTTING so i'm gonna keep this short and sweet

i love you guys and i'll see you next time. 

thanks for staying! 


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